The Department of Homeland Security released a statement condemning the state of New York for not only allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses, but also for the state not allowing the agency to look at the database for investigations involving serious crimes.
"This will protect criminals at the expense of the safety and security of law-abiding New York residents. Beside giving drivers licenses to hundreds of thousands of people who broke our laws and have come to our country illegally, the New York law also blocks DHS law enforcement officers who investigate crimes, like child exploitation, human trafficking, terrorism, the targeting of gang members, sex offenders and drug smuggling, from accessing important public records," DHS said in a press release.
"Accessing this information is vital to building out these criminal cases, identifying criminal suspects, and enhancing officer safety," the department added.
New York has decided they aren’t going to let Homeland Security Investigations access DMV data when we are investigating things like child pornography, terrorism and human trafficking. Terrible law that protects criminals. Statement?? pic.twitter.com/FmCR4QqpAP
— DHS Press Secretary (@SpoxDHS) December 16, 2019
There were long lines outside the state's DMVs on Monday as undocumented immigrants were eager to sign up under the new law.
Lines to apply for New York driver's licenses go as far as around the block on the first day undocumented immigrants can apply for them https://t.co/ez6Ca3jxbe pic.twitter.com/7ogsYdTPDb
— The Hill (@thehill) December 16, 2019
This is the line outside a @nysdmv office in #Queens . About a 100 most #undocumentedimmigrants applying for a drivers license for the first time bc #greenlightlaw is now in effect. pic.twitter.com/BYKoRjbIz4
— Rocco Vertuccio (@RoccoNY1) December 16, 2019
The driver's licenses that will be given out to the illegal aliens will not look different from those given to U.S. citizens.
