The US Government has apologized for making false statements in a legal battle with New York over the Trusted Traveler Programs. The ban...
The US Government has apologized for making false statements in a legal battle with New York over the Trusted Traveler Programs.
The ban on New York residents joining the scheme, which lets members travel quickly between the US and either Canada or Mexico, was immediately lifted.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) cut New Yorkers from the programs in February, after the state passed a law last June letting drivers with foreign documents apply for licenses.
The state refused to allow federal agents to access license information, which federal agents said meant applicants for the travel scheme couldn't be adequately vetted.
But during a court filing on Thursday the US Attorney's Office in Manhattan acknowledged some other states and territories also withhold driver information but are still allowed to join the scheme.
The ban on New York residents joining the Trusted Traveler scheme, which lets members travel more quickly between the US and either Canada or Mexico, was immediately lifted. Pictured, a Global Entry Trusted Traveler Network kiosk
The revelations, they said, undermined a central argument that the government 'is not able to assure itself of an applicant's low-risk status because New York fails to share relevant DMV information.'
The government's court filing said the agencies 'deeply regret the inaccurate or misleading statements and apologize to the court and (New York) for the need to make these corrections at this late stage.'
New York sued DHS in February, saying the policy would prohibit 175,000 New Yorkers whose membership in the program expires this year from re-enrolling.
They said it would 'cut off' 80,000 New Yorkers with pending applications.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is pictured speaking during a bill signing ceremony February 2019 in New York. A year later he said his state would file a lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's plan to block New Yorkers from enrolling in Trusted Traveler program
New York Attorney General Letitia James said Thursday the DHS decision to deny the state access was 'political retribution, plain and simple, which is why we filed our lawsuit to stop the president from targeting and punishing New Yorkers.'
Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf is pictured
In April, the state amended its law that had limited federal immigration authorities from accessing records from the state's Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).
The change allowed the DMV to share information 'as necessary for an individual seeking acceptance into a trusted traveler program, or to facilitate vehicle imports and/or exports.'
The DHS policy had prohibited New Yorkers from joining or renewing participation in so-called Trusted Traveler programs including Global Entry and three others - FAST, NEXUS AND SENTRI.
In February acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf announced the immediate freeze on applicants wanting faster border crossings after President Trump slammed 'left-wing states' that 'release dangerous criminal aliens to prey upon the public' in his State of the Union address.
The Green Light Law is a sanctuary policy that allows undocumented migrants to apply for a license using a passport from their home country rather than a US document.
It also bars the DMV from sharing that information with ICE and Border Protection, meaning illegal immigrants are safeguarded from deportation - even if they have a criminal record.
Wolf revealed the sweeping policy change in a letter to the New York state government that was obtained by Fox News.
The Trusted Traveler Programs - or TTPs - include Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, and FAST.
Wolf ruled nobody from the state could apply for programs that expedite entry into the United States from abroad because authorities could not properly vet them.
'In New York alone, last year ICE arrested 149 child predators, identified or rescued 105 victims of exploitation and human trafficking, arrested 230 gang members, and seized 6,487 pounds of illegal narcotics, including fentanyl and opioids.
'In the vast majority of these cases, ICE relied on New York DMV records to fulfill its mission,' he added.
No comments