New York State will be filing a lawsuit against the federal government over the use of trusted traveler programs in the state, the governor and state attorney general announced Friday.
“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,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said. “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.”
Letitia James, the state’s attorney general, added that the move is “political retribution, pure and simple, and while the president may want to punish New York for standing up to his xenophobic policies, we will not back down.”
On Wednesday evening, Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, told Fox News that New Yorkers will not be accepted into programs like Nexus, Global Entry, SENTRI, or FAST.
The Department of Homeland Security said it expects some 175,000 New Yorkers to have tried to re-enroll in these programs in 2020.
Nexus allows low-risk travelers to get pre-approved by Customs and Border Protection to enter the U.S.
Homeland Security says it's making this move specifically because of New York's recently passed Green Light Law. The law allows undocumented immigrants to apply for driver's licenses and permits, but keeps their application information away from federal immigration and customs enforcement.
The governor and attorney general noted that 13 other states, and the District of Colombia, have previously passed legislation similar to the Green Light Law, but have not faced similar repercussions from the federal government.
In a separate letter, Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown is asking the Department of Homeland Security to reconsider the action, saying that the suspension of these programs "will not only have a negative impact on local businesses and residents, but will also impact Custom Border Protection and Transportation Security Administration employees. With a decrease in Trusted Traveler program members, TSA and CBP will need to devote more money and staff to screen individuals crossing the border."
Read his full statement below.