New York Needs to Accept Guidelines Used by 49 other States
Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis today called on Gov. Andrew Cuomo to “stop his theatrics and his cynical political grandstanding” related to the state’s ill-conceived and poorly named ‘Green Light Law,’ which undercuts both federal and state law enforcement and has resulted in federal action blocking New Yorkers from registering for Global Entry and other Trusted Traveler programs that speed up international travel.
Malliotakis has been working with The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to craft a bill that would satisfy the department’s requirements and restore Global Entry status. The department has told Malliotakis that it only needs Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to have its access to the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) database restored. Malliotakis will be submitting legislation to restore the agency’s access and rectify the issue.
Malliotakis said, “We don’t need the Gov. wasting taxpayer money on a costly lawsuit. We just need him to work with us to restore CBP’s access to the DMV database so they can check to see if anyone applying for Global Entry has pending criminal charges. It’s that simple.
“Gov. Andrew Cuomo needs to stop his theatrics and his cynical political grandstanding that have slowed international travel for New York residents. His rhetoric and his actions are merely highlighting a simple truth; New York is the only state in the nation that currently does not comply with the regulations key to protecting our nation from a potential terrorist attack. 14 other states provide driver’s licenses to those in the country illegally and those 14 other states do not have this problem because they comply with DHS requirements. The Green Light Law is merely one of many far-left initiatives passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Cuomo that share some common threads; they deconstruct the common sense laws that protect all New Yorkers while throwing roadblocks in front of the federal, state and local law enforcement agencies that are entrusted with enforcing these laws.”
The Green Light Law, which took effect this year, allows illegal immigrants to apply for New York state Driver’s licenses without proper vetting of background information. Shockingly, the law also requires that the Department of Motor Vehicles notify the license holder within three days when a law enforcement agency has requested their personal information. It also prohibits local law enforcement from sharing information with federal partners. New York is the only state in the nation that has run afoul of the Department of Homeland Security regulations implemented as a response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11.
Department of Homeland Security says 80,000 New Yorkers who applied are now prevented from being approved for the program, and the agency anticipates up to 200,000 New York residents will seek to renew membership in a CBP Trusted Traveler Program in 2020, but will be unable to. Additionally, 30,000 commercial truck drivers enrolled in the FAST program and four New York-Canada ports of entry are also impacted.