‘We will not allow New Yorkers to be targeted or bullied by an authoritarian thug…’
(Joshua Paladino, Liberty Headlines) A day after the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it would block New York residents from “trusted traveler” programs due to the state’s “Green Light” law, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state would sue.
“Time and time again President Trump and his Washington enablers have gone out of their way to hurt New York and other blue states whenever they can as punishment for refusing to fall in line with their dangerous and divisive agenda,” Cuomo said, according to a press release.
New York’s Green Light law, which took effect in December, prohibits federal agencies—including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—from accessing the state’s department of motor vehicle records.
Since New York refuses to cooperate with the federal government, the state’s travelers will not have access to programs such as Global Entry, SENTRI, NEXUS, FAST, and TSA pre-check.
New York Attorney General Letitia James plans to argue in the lawsuit that DHS’s decision invades the state’s sovereign immunity, revokes equal protections from the state’s residents, and neglects the “rights and privileges of all New Yorkers,” according to the press release.
“This is political retribution, plain and simple, and while the president may want to punish New York for standing up to his xenophobic policies, we will not back down,” James said. “This new policy will negatively impact travelers, workers, commerce, and our economy, so we will fight the president’s shortsighted crusade against his former home. We will not allow New Yorkers to be targeted or bullied by an authoritarian thug.”
The lawsuit will further claim that the Trump administration has arbitrarily targeted New York state, since thirteen other states and the District of Columbia also have Green Light laws.
“The Department of Homeland Security’s decision to ban New Yorkers from the Trusted Traveler Program is yet another example of this administration’s disrespect of the rule of law, hyper-partisan politics and use of extortion,” Cuomo said. “There is no rational basis for this politically motivated ban, and we are taking legal action to stop the federal government from inconveniencing New Yorkers to score political points.”