Dept. of Justice suing Gov. Kathy Hochul and New York over immigration policy

NEW YORK - The Department of Justice has filed charges against the state of New York and Governor Kathy Hochul for allegedly failing to comply with federal law by shielding illegal immigrants, new Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Wednesday.

NY leaders accused of prioritizing illegal aliens over American citizens

What we know:

In her first press conference since taking office last week, Bondi accused New York leaders of prioritizing "illegal aliens over American citizens." Standing in front of federal agents who have been tasked with helping in Trump's immigration crackdown, she echoed the president's rhetoric as she vowed the Justice Department would take on communities that thwart federal immigration efforts.

Bondi cited New York's Green Light laws, also known as the Diver's License Act, which allows illegal immigrants to get a driver's license as one of the reasons for the lawsuit.

The law also prevents certain federal agencies from accessing New York State's driver's license information.

"New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops — it stops today," Bondi said at a press conference.

New York Department of Motor Vehicles commissioner Mark Schroeder is also named in the lawsuit.

Bondi said the move should be a warning to other states that sanctuary city laws will not be tolerated under the Trump administration. 

‘New York is not backing down’

What they're saying:

"If you don't comply with federal law, we will hold you accountable," Bondi said. "We did it to Illinois, strike one. Strike two is New York. And if you are a state not complying with federal law, you're next. Get ready."

"Earlier today, Attorney General Pam Bondi marched in front of the television cameras for a dramatic media briefing to announce she was filing charges against New York State related to our immigration laws. Hours later, when legal papers were shared with reporters, we learned this was smoke and mirrors: the Department of Justice was filing a routine civil action about a law passed in 2019 that has been upheld by the courts time and again," Governor Hochul said in a statement. 

""Here are the facts: our current laws allow federal immigration officials to access any DMV database with a judicial warrant. That's a common-sense approach that most New Yorkers support. But there's no way I'm letting federal agents, or Elon Musk's shadowy DOGE operation, get unfettered access to the personal data of any New Yorker in the DMV system like 16-year-old kids learning to drive and other vulnerable people.," Hochul continued. "We expect Pam Bondi's worthless, publicity-driven lawsuit to be a total failure, just like all the others. Let me be clear: New York is not backing down."

Timeline:

In 2020, the Trump administration sought to pressure New York into changing its law by barring anyone from the state from enrolling in trusted traveler programs, meaning they would spend longer amounts of time going through security lines at airports.

New York’s governor at the time, Andrew Cuomo, offered to restore federal access to driving records on a limited basis, but said he wouldn’t let immigration agents see lists of people who had applied for the special licenses available to immigrants who couldn’t prove legal residency in the U.S.

The Trump administration ultimately restored New Yorkers’ access to the trusted traveler program after a brief legal fight.