New York is already getting sued by the Trump administration for prioritizing illegal aliens over the safety of Americans. Get ready for New York City to be slammed with similar suits.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul blusters that the legal action is a “worthless, publicity-driven lawsuit” that will “be a total failure.” Hochul insists “New York is not backing down.”
She’s dead wrong about the merits of the lawsuit. It’s a slam dunk.
The state and its top Democrats are being sued over the Green Light Law, a brainchild of New York Attorney General Letitia James and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. It was passed and signed into law by Cuomo in 2019 to allow illegal immigrants to get driver’s licenses without having to worry that their information could be accessed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The law prohibits federal law enforcement from using the Department of Motor Vehicles database to see an individual’s picture, address, or immigration status unless they get a warrant or court order, a time-consuming process. It’s impossible during a traffic stop, for example.
Here’s the biggest outrage: The Green Light Law says DMV employees “shall” tip off anyone under investigation within three days — giving them a heads-up to abscond. Nineteen states allow illegal immigrants to get driver’s licenses, but no other state law has this tip-off provision. It turns the DMV into an accomplice for criminals.
Announcing the lawsuit on Feb. 12, newly minted U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi stood with an “angel mom” whose daughter had been raped and murdered by an MS-13 gang member. Bondi accused the state of deliberately obstructing federal efforts to round up and deport illegals with criminal records or arrests, in violation of the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause and a new federal law.
On Jan. 29, President Donald Trump signed into law the Laken Riley Act, which mandates that any illegal alien convicted of theft, burglary, or crimes that cause death or bodily injury will be detained and deported on release from prison. That can only happen if ICE knows the criminal is being released.
“At last count, we had almost 600,000 illegal aliens in the United States with a criminal conviction. I won’t be happy” until they’re removed, said border czar Tom Homan on Monday.
That’s where Bondi comes in. On Feb. 6, she sued the city of Chicago, Cook County, and the state of Illinois for “affirmatively thwarting” the enforcement of federal immigration law, resulting in “countless criminals being released into Chicago” who should have been removed from the United States. She cited local and state laws that make it a crime for government employees to share information with ICE.
A long line of Supreme Court litigation says that the federal government cannot “commandeer” state and local employees to do the feds’ jobs for them. She will have to prove that local and state authorities are not just sitting on their hands. They are actively working to defeat federal law.
New York City will likely face a similar lawsuit if Homan isn’t happy with the cooperation he’s been promised by Mayor Eric Adams. And it’s unlikely that Adams can deliver. On Feb. 13, Homan told me Adams promised not only to provide an ICE “presence” at Rikers Island but to do other things that he can’t make public because the City Council would object.
Give the mayor a medal. He’s being pilloried by his own party for playing ball with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement. But public sentiment is fully behind him. Nearly 72% of New York City residents polled by the Manhattan Institute want the city to cooperate with federal officials to deport illegals who have committed crimes.
ICE says there are over 58,000 illegal migrants wandering city streets who are convicted felons or face criminal charges.
Yet New York Democrats are battling to protect them. Rep. Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez’s office held a webinar on how to evade ICE. City Council members are introducing legislation to allow New Yorkers to sue any city agency that cooperates with ICE. And Albany lawmakers are offering legislation to bar ICE from schools or shelters without a court order.
It’s madness. The public loses safety, and the state and cash-strapped city potentially lose billions in federal funds by warring against the White House.
New York is not a sovereign nation. It is part of the United States and needs to behave that way, obeying the U.S. Constitution.
Bondi delivered that message in court. Voters need to deliver it at the ballot box.
Betsy McCaughey is a former lieutenant governor of New York State and co-founder of Save Our City. Follow her on Twitter @Betsy_McCaughey. To find out more about Betsy McCaughey and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website.
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I just don’t understand Americans voting Democrat. They create problems causing chaos and anarchy, then demand BIGGER GOVERNMENT and taxes to enrich themselves and cronies with power and money…….and keep on getting elected into office. Democrat voters are just plain stupid.
Screw these rebellious states and cities. The residents of these cities and States voted the dems in and should now suffer the consequences of their actions. Sure they are crying now about what those they elected are doing; but to hell with them. They brought this on themselves. And we know there is a good chance once their mess is cleaned up, they will run back to the dems embrace.
So suck it up libtards and reap the benefits of your election choice. This should include the loss of ALL federal funding for ignoring federal law and aiding and abetting criminals. You get the government you deserve!
These Democrat politicians are law breaking criminals and should be dealt with accordingly, prosecuted for obstruction and imprisoned.
Can anyone tell me why the Democratic politicians are protecting criminals? Please someone tell me!!!!
Shouldn’t EVERY PERSON VIOLATING the PRESIDENTS’ ORDERS – be arrested & charged – – with TREASON–for those protecting ILLEGALS (especially KNOWN VIOLENT CRIMINALS?) CUT OFF ALL GOVERNMENT FUNDS FOR THE STATES THAT DEFY our highest form of government!
I can’t wait for the politician perp walks!
I would love to see AOC crying in prison orange. It would look so much better than her white outfit she donned during DJT’s first term, as she cried crocodile tears at a border retention center. Bondi and company MUST wipe out the two-tiered justice system and bring back safe communities, with or without the cooperation of libtards in power.
We don’t have enough crime in America that Democrats want to import it.
Excellent read, Betsy, and go get “em” Pam.
I can’t wait until Bondi goes after California. I live in this crap state and have tried for years to vote out the communist currently in power. I agree with many comments you get what you vote for, however, until this state is rid of all illegals or collapses due to its insolvency I don’t see change happening.
That’s why so many residents of NY, Calif, and other Democrat-run states are relocating to Republican-run states. But they obviously are hanging on to the Dem way because those states they’ve relocated to are becoming more leftist. Look at Colorado and Arizona and even Virginia; they used to be Red states but no more. And Texas and Florida are even showing signs of more Dem influence. The result will eventually be no non-leftist place to which to run. Conservatives and right-of-center pushed back last November. But the push-back can’t stop there. We have to hold the line and push it back continuously until we have succeeded in MAGA.
Wasn’t this called Nullification once upon a time ? I thought we settled this about 160 years ago. Where’s Henry Clay when they need him.
This won’t end until people start getting arrested for violating their oaths to office and the US Constitution, or threatening the safety of our law enforcement officers, or anything else. Why on earth are the voters in these areas not absolutely flooding the offices with angry phone calls? How many more people need to be raped or murdered?
Hochul, OAC and ALL other Blue State socialist Commies LOVE crime, LOVE rapists, LOVE child sex trafficking, HATE America, and are MADLY IN LOVE WITH ILLEGAL SCUM, THUGS, TERRORISTS, DRUGGIES, AND OTHER LAWBREAKERS.
The great and wise philosopher I.M. Wise perfectly summed it all up when he said it is because of the multi-decades-long of FAILED LEFT-WING POLICIES, has begged the question of WHY?, and which accurately comes to the conclusion that the only good left-wing liberal is one that has either been retroactively aborted, or has held their breath for at least fifteen minutes.
No wonder Mr. Wise is considered as one of the greatest philosophers.
Given the hassle, I was given at the DMV in New York to get my license upgraded to the Real ID, by the clerks, who despite my having an NYS driver’s license for decades, I had to present a US Passport and an embossed copy of my birth certificate, but allowed undocumented individuals to just X-sign for a driver’s license form, which should not have had that bottom section attached that allowed those names to be sent to the Board Of Elections. It took several protests by concerned citizens to make sure this bottom section was not passed on as a voter registration if the applicant only got the basic license and forced the DMV clerks to void/remove that section to be passed on. In retaliation, any citizen who renewed their license or upgraded was placed into the active jury pool despite having served recently during the last few years. I am renewing my Real ID enhanced driver’s license this year and all I should be required to do is supply the eye test, take a new photo, and pay the fee. Or I will be making a lot of noise at the clerk in charge.
Rights of individual seems seep out New York, only leaders they voted is not doing their job , or election process is questionable.
And the mainstream media had a poll in NYC saying the opposite, the dirty liars!
Much of the horror that Biden wrought was begun under O’Bama. He (and Michelle) hated America and Americans for being the BEST in the world. The radical left wants America to be more like other smaller, less economically successful countries and less patriotic. That is why they work to destroy our values and pride in the U.S.A. They will not stop until they succeed and President Trump is in their way!! People who normally voted Democrat voted for Trump and it is killing them. They are too bone-headed to see that we, the people do not want what they are trying to sell us…..Communism!!
New York is one place I have no desire to ever go to. They can keep their ‘Big Apple’ full of illegals.
Many members of the “Democrat” party are not the brightest people. In an effort to muster enough votes to elect someone they mistake for being “good”, they import foreigners who are “bad” for their local economy, their local crime, AND their local job market. That won’t solve much of anything.