Justice Dept. Accuses New York of Favoring ‘Illegal Aliens’ Over U.S. Citizens

Last updated: February 13, 2025 4:58 am

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The attorney general sued the state, citing a law allowing New Yorkers to get a driver’s license regardless of legal status. Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office made clear that it supported “deporting violent criminals.”

The lawsuit announced by Attorney General Pam Bondi was a fresh salvo in efforts by the federal government to force more cooperation in enacting President Trump’s immigration agenda. Credit… Craig Hudson/Reuters Feb. 12, 2025

The Trump administration sued New York on Wednesday over its migrant policies and accused state officials of prioritizing “illegal aliens over American citizens,” escalating its political and legal battles with states over deportations.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, in her first news conference, specifically cited New York’s “green light” law, which allows people in the state to get a driver’s license regardless of citizenship or legal status.

Ms. Bondi, flanked by federal agents in raid jackets, vowed to put an end to those practices.

“It stops,” she said. “It stops today.”

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Albany, said New York state law was the most egregious in that it requires state authorities “to promptly tip off any illegal alien when a federal immigration agency has requested his or her information.”

That, the lawsuit said, was “a frontal assault on the federal immigration laws, and the federal authorities that administer them.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office made clear that it supported “deporting violent criminals who break our laws,” issuing a statement that noted that the governor did not believe law-abiding people should be targets.

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