Breaking the law

In a statement Friday, Cuomo’s office called it a “politically motivated ban,” after Department of Homeland Security officials said the move is in response to New York’s recently enacted sanctuary "Green Light Law" that allows residents to apply for driver's licenses without having to prove they are in the U.S. legally.

In a letter to top New York state officials this week, Acting Homeland Security Secretary Chad Wolf noted that the New York law prohibited Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) agencies across the state from sharing criminal records with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

"In New York alone, last year ICE arrested 149 child predators, identified or rescued 105 victims of exploitation and human trafficking, arrested 230 gang members, and seized 6,487 pounds of illegal narcotics, including fentanyl and opioids," Wolf wrote. "In the vast majority of these cases, ICE relied on New York DMV records to fulfill its mission.”