Illegal disclosure became a felony in New York

An amendment to the New York Green Light Act provides that state officials who pass on illegal immigrant information to federal authorities can be prosecuted. Writes about it Fox News.

The law, which entered into force in January, allows illegal immigrants to obtain driving licenses. The amendment was signed by the governor in April.

Initially, this law went one step further than similar regulations in other regions, barring New York State agencies from exchanging data with federal immigration authorities, such as the Immigration and Customs Control Service (ICE) and the Border Control Service (CBP). And the new amendment goes even further and classifies this exchange of information between officials as a Class E felony felony.

The law states that anyone who obtains or has access to state DMV records must confirm in advance that they will not use the information contained in them for immigration control or submit it to an agency that enforces immigration law in any way. The amendment states that “violation of such certification should be considered a Class E criminal offense.”

Under state law, a Class E felony provides the most lenient penalty of all felony offenses. In most cases, it is punishable by a fine or conditional imprisonment. As much as possible for him you can get up to 4 years in prison, but this requires a lot of aggravating circumstances.

On the subject: Illegals in New York will receive financial assistance in connection with the coronavirus

Democrats and immigrant rights groups have repeatedly expressed support for the Green Light Act, arguing that it helps unify communities and makes roads safer because all drivers have rights.

“This is a public safety issue. Thus, even if you do not fully comply with immigration laws, you can get a driver's license if you pass the driving test and knowledge of the rules. We want to make sure that if you're driving you know what you're doing, ”Cuomo said.

But law enforcement groups and federal immigration agencies vehemently oppose this law. The Association of New York Sheriffs called it “offensive” that they were forced to sign non-disclosure agreements, promising not to share information with their federal counterparts.

The law also requires that owners of driving licenses be notified within a few days if immigration law enforcement authorities request DMV information. Although it does not contain information about the immigration status of the applicant, something may raise suspicions during the verification and investigations may be launched against some people.

Acting ICE Director Matthew Albens said the law threatens the lives of officers and prevents agencies like ICE and CBP from doing their job.

“CBP and ICE are two organizations tasked by the federal government to investigate immigration violations, and we can no longer do so effectively as a result of the Green Light Act. It makes us less efficient and puts our agents in greater danger, ”he said.