The U.S. Department of Homeland Security immediately began blocking New Yorkers from enrolling in travel-expediting programs like Global Entry this week in an apparent bid to pressure other states not to pursue a Green Light Law, which went into effect in December.
New York's law allows unauthorized immigrants to apply for licenses but takes it one step further than other jurisdictions with similar laws by blocking Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers from accessing records regarding a driver's license without a court order.
New York officials say the state will sue over the decision. In a statement today, Attorney General Letitia James said the state will take legal action against the Trump adminsitration and wrote "This is political retribution, plain and simple, and while the president may want to punish New York for standing up to his xenophobic politics, we will not back down."
Federal authorities have said state legislation like New York's Green Light Law makes it harder to enforce federal immigration laws but state officials disagree.
Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) told Cheddar "I don't understand why you would draft that legislation" and expressed disappointment by what he said was a lack of communication between DHS and New York. "If you were going to do this, at least give the DHS a heads up so they can look at the legislation and mitigate the impacts in the meantime."
Though some, like Reed, think the law needs to be repealed, Steve Choi, who leads the New York Immigration Coalition, said in a statement the law keeps New Yorkers safe.
"The notion that the Trump administration needs names and addresses from the DMV database — or has any idea how to keep New Yorkers safe — is laughable," Choi wrote. He also noted DHS had not implemented a similar ban on the other states that allow undocumented persons to get licenses. "All New Yorkers are safer because of the Green Light law, and we're smart enough to see through this latest attempt to attack the protections for immigrants that New York has proudly enacted."
Some see the move as retaliation for New York's "sanctuary" policies, which the Trump administration has vowed to fight, but the acting Director of Homeland Security Chad Wolf stated in a letter that CBP needs access to New York DMV information "to validate that an individual applying for Trusted Traveler Programs (TTP) membership qualify for low-risk status or meets other program requirements."
He continued in his letter by writing "although DHS would prefer to continue our long-standing cooperative relationship with New York on a variety of these critical homeland security initiatives, this Act and the corresponding lack of security cooperation from the New York DMV requires DHS to take immediate action to ensure DHS's efforts to protect the homeland are not compromised."
"The Trump Administration's ban on all New Yorkers applying for Global Entry and other Trusted Traveler programs is a purely punitive move that has nothing to do with security," Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security, said in a statement. He called it a "clearly a blatant attempt by the White House to score political points and perpetuate a partisan fight with New York elected officials."
*This article was updated with new information regarding New York state's response. *
Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Jerry Greenfield is leaving the ice cream brand after 47 years. He says the freedom the company used to have to speak up on social issues has been stifled
The Federal Reserve cut its key interest rate by a quarter-point Wednesday and projected it would do so twice more this year as concern grows at the central bank about the health of the nation’s labor market. The move is the Fed’s first cut since December and lowered its short-term rate to about 4.1%, down from 4.3%. Fed officials, led by Chair Jerome Powell, had kept their rate unchanged this year as they evaluated the impact of tariffs, tighter immigration enforcement, and other Trump administration policies on inflation and the economy. The only dissenter was Stephen Miran, the recent Trump-appointee.
After a late-night vote and last-minute ruling, the Federal Reserve began a key meeting on interest rate policy Tuesday with both a new Trump administration appointee and an official the White House has targeted for removal.
The Trump administration has issued its first warnings to online services that offer unofficial versions of popular drugs like the blockbuster obesity treatment Wegovy.
Albania's Prime Minister Edi Rama says his new Cabinet will include an artificial intelligence “minister” in charge of fighting corruption. The AI, named Diella, will oversee public funding projects and combat corruption in public tenders. Diella was launched earlier this year as a virtual assistant on the government's public service platform. Corruption has been a persistent issue in Albania since 1990. Rama's Socialist Party won a fourth consecutive term in May. It aims to deliver EU membership for Albania in five years, but the opposition Democratic Party remains skeptical.
The Trump administration has asked an appeals court to remove Lisa Cook from the Federal Reserve’s board of governors by Monday, before the central bank’s next vote on interest rates. Trump sought to fire Cook Aug. 25, but a federal judge ruled late Tuesday that the removal was illegal and reinstated her to the Fed’s board.
President Donald Trump's administration is appealing a ruling blocking him from immediately firing Federal Reserve Gov. Lisa Cook as he seeks more control over the traditionally independent board. The notice of appeal was filed Wednesday, hours after U.S. District Judge Jia Cobb handed down the ruling. The White House insists the Republican president had the right to fire Cook over mortgage fraud allegations involving properties in Michigan and Georgia from before she joined the Fed. Cook's lawsuit denies the allegations and says the firing was unlawful. The case could soon reach the Supreme Court, which has allowed Trump to fire members of other independent agencies but suggested that power has limitations at the Fed.
Chief Justice John Roberts has let President Donald Trump remove a member of the Federal Trade Commission, the latest in a string of high-profile firings allowed for now by the Supreme Court.
President Donald Trump has fired one of two Democratic members of the U.S. Surface Transportation Board to break a 2-2 tie ahead of the board considering the largest railroad merger ever proposed.
The Rev. Al Sharpton is set to lead a protest march on Wall Street to urge corporate America to resist the Trump administration’s campaign to roll back diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The New York civil rights leader will join clergy, labor and community leaders Thursday in a demonstration through Manhattan’s Financial District that’s timed with the anniversary of the Civil Rights-era March on Washington in 1963. Sharpton called DEI the “civil rights fight of our generation." He and other Black leaders have called for boycotting American retailers that scaled backed policies and programs aimed at bolstering diversity and reducing discrimination in their ranks.
