New York State Makes it a Felony For Law Enforcement to Share DMV Info With DHS or ICE

As people have been distracted with the coronavirus shutdown, Governor Andrew Cuomo quietly passed the 2020 budget which contained an amendment that makes it a felony for law enforcement to share DMV information with the Department of Homeland Security or Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The Green Light Law has essentially criminalized police work.

According to Buffalo’s ABC 7,  the amendment makes it an E Felony for any law enforcement officer to share DMV records with another law enforcement agency in charge of immigration like ICE or DHS.

U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York J.P. Kennedy has accused Cuomo of “legislating obstruction” with the new law.

“Border Patrol for example, working the highway in the middle of the night and pulls over a vehicle, they can’t run the plates to determine who owns that vehicle,” said Kennedy. “I think it’s legislating obstruction and it’s very concerning to me.”

Kennedy is also concerned about the safety of New Yorkers and called the amendment a “recipe for disaster.”

“We’ve seen how important communication and coordination in coming up with a response to the pandemic and sort of causing people to work in isolation it’s a recipe for disaster,” he said of not being able to share information. “I’m very concerned about this and I think it’s very unfortunate and makes me really question the motives of the individuals that enacted this law, if their professed interest in public safety and public health is really as important as they say they are.”

Alarmingly, this law will also have a national impact, as illegal aliens with New York plates in other states cannot have their information run by ICE or DHS.

“If any law enforcement officer in Texas ran across a New York State registered vehicle they could not run that plate if it was any officer who was involved in the enforcement of immigration law.”

Erie County Clerk Mickey Kearns told ABC 7 that this is “shocking” and “unheard of.”

“This is shocking this is unheard of and especially during a pandemic that someone, the Governor, who is under so much pressure thought about that to put that in there,” said Kearns. “We just had I think it was 29 people law enforcement people in the State of New York that just died from COVID, and they’re criminals now?”

“They basically criminalize police work in this budget,” he added.