WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against the state of New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, and New York Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Mark Schroeder, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Wednesday.
“New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops today,” Bondi said during a press conference, held shortly after she swore in Tulsi Gabbard as the country’s new national intelligence director. “As you know, we sued Illinois, and New York didn’t listen, so now you’re next.”
The legal action comes less than a week after the Trump administration filed a similar lawsuit against Illinois and Chicago, challenging their sanctuary policies.
Both cities, along with others across the country, have enacted policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
Bondi specifically criticized New York’s Green Light Law, which restricts federal immigration authorities from accessing DMV records of undocumented immigrants.
The law also permits individuals without Social Security numbers to obtain standard driver’s licenses, regardless of their legal status.
“Violent criminals, gang members, drug traffickers, human smugglers will no longer terrorize the American people, and that is why we are here today,” Bondi said.
She warned that other states and cities failing to comply with federal immigration law could face similar legal consequences.
“We don’t want to sue you,” she said. “We don’t want to prosecute people. We want people to comply with the law.”
