Gov. Cuomo vows to sue Trump administration for
banning New Yorkers from trusted travel programs
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | FEB. 14-20, 2020 5
BY BILL PARRY
Calling the Trump administration’s
sudden ban of New
Yorkers from using trusted
traveler programs “extortion,”
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced
New York state’s intent
to sue the federal government
over the policy.
Last June, Cuomo signed the
Green Light Law, allowing undocumented
immigrants to apply
for driver’s licenses in New
York and preventing federal immigration
agencies from accessing
the Department of Motor
Vehicle data.
Cuomo said the ban is politically
motivated and a direct
retaliation for the Green Light
Law. Thirteen other states and
the District of Columbia have
Green Light Laws, but New
York is the only state that has
been targeted for retaliation.
“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,”
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. There
is no rational basis for this politically
motivated ban, and we
are taking legal action to stop
the federal government from inconveniencing
New Yorkers to
score political points.”
The lawsuit which will be
brought by Attorney General Letitia
James, will argue that DHS
has violated New York’s sovereign
immunity, not provided
the state’s residents with equal
protection and is acting in an arbitrary
and capricious manner
that denies the rights and privileges
of all New Yorkers.
“This is political retribution,
plain and simple, and while the
president may want to punish
New York for standing up to his
xenophobic policies, we will not
back down,” James said. “We
plan to take legal action and sue
the Trump administration for
its unfair targeting of New York
State residents.”
Trusted Traveler Programs,
including Global Entry, SENTRI,
NEXUS and FAST, facilitate
the entry of pre-approved
travelers into the United States
using expedited lanes at airports
and international borders.
Under the DHS ban, New Yorkers
will no longer be eligible to
apply for or renew memberships
in the programs.
“This new policy will negatively
impact travelers, workers,
commerce, and our economy,
so we will fight the president’s
shortsighted crusade against
his former home” James said.
“We will not allow New Yorkers
to be targeted or bullied by an
authoritarian thug.”
James added that the Green
Light Law is legal and enforceable,
and two separate federal
courts have already dismissed
meritless lawsuits against it.
The Trump administration banned New Yorkers from programs that
allow travelers to pass through airport security and customs.
Photo via Wikimedia Commons
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