In June 2019, New York enacted its Green Light Law, which enabled illegal immigrants to obtain a driver’s license.
The Trump administration was challenging the law as part of the president's immigration agenda.
That effort has failed, as a Biden-appointed judge has just ruled that the law can remain in place.
As a sanctuary state, New York has made it far easier for illegal immigrants to obtain a driver’s license.
The overview of the law states, “The Driver's License Access and Privacy Act, commonly called the 'Green Light Law', was enacted on June 17, 2019, and took effect on December 16, 2019. It allows all New Yorkers age 16 and older to apply for a standard, not-for-federal purpose, non-commercial driver license or learner permit regardless of their citizenship or lawful status in the United States.”
The page goes on to say that applicants are eligible even if they do not have a Social Security number, which most red states require.
Additionally, the law would not have any labeling on the license to denote immigration status, so that it would be identical to the license received by legal residents.
When the Trump administration took over, Tom Homan was appointed as border czar, and he made extinguishing this law a “high priority.”
He explained, “I grew up in New York state, I still own a home in the state. What happens in New York means a lot to me.”
State officials called this a “fear tactic” on the part of the administration.
When New York Gov. Kathy Hochul was asked about the administration’s efforts against the legislation, and the federal government wanting access to the data, she responded, “That would be bizarre to me, that anyone thinks that stopping our vehicles from coming in and out of our country, keeping New Yorkers in a foreign country, is a smart path forward,” Hochul said. “I’d like to sit down and have that conversation.”
Once again, the Trump administration drew the short straw, with U.S. District Judge Anne M. Nardacci being assigned the case. Nardacci was appointed by Joe Biden, so we more or less expected Trump's challenge to lose.
After Narducci dismissed the government’s case, New York Attorney General Letitia James responded, "As I said from the start, our laws protect the rights of all New Yorkers and keep our communities safe. I will always stand up for New Yorkers and the rule of law."
Attorney General Pam Bondi also responded, saying that New York officials were putting "illegal aliens over American citizens.”
This is yet another big loss for Bondi, who is really under the lens right now. She has faced defeat in the cases against former FBI Director James Comey and AG Letitia James, the Epstein files debacle, and now this. I would not be surprised at all to see her either fired or forced to resign very soon.
