The Entire State of New York Kicked Out of Global Entry, Nexus & Other TTPs
Joe Cortez February 06, 2020
If you live in New York, the latest order from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security prevents your participation in a Trusted Travel Program. The acting secretary announced the changes on live TV Wednesday night, over state law changes going into effect in December 2019.
The Department of Homeland Security is taking an extraordinary step with its Trusted Travel Programs by excluding the entire state of New York from all programs. In an exclusive interview with Fox News Channel, acting department secretary Chad Wolf announced the immediate exclusion in response to the recently enacted “Green Light Law.” You can follow current commentary and opinions on the change in the FlyerTalk forums.
Why Is This Happening?
New York enacted the “Green Light Law” in December 2019, allowing anyone to apply for a driver’s license regardless of their immigration status. According to the New York Immigration Coalition, similar laws were passed by 12 states, Washington, D.C., and the territory of Puerto Rico. The law would allow over 750,000 individuals to legally obtain driver’s licenses, and protect other undocumented Americans from losing theirs.
As a result, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles is no longer sharing driver’s license and vehicle registration information with several Department of Homeland Security agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection or Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Because of this, DHS says they no longer have a method to ensure New York residents qualify for Trusted Traveler Programs including TSA Precheck, Global Entry or Nexus.
“Having access to New York DMV information has enabled CBP to validate that an individual applying for Trusted Traveler Program (TTP) membership qualifies for low-risk status or meets other program requirements,” the letter from Secretary Wolf to New York DMV officials reads, as published by Fox News Channel. “An individual’s criminal history affects their eligibility for TTP membership.”
Because of the shift, the secretary suspended TTP membership and renewal to everyone enrolled living in the state of New York. “Because the [Green Light Act] prevents DHS from accessing New York DMV records in order to determine whether a TTP applicant or re-applicant meets program eligibility requirements,” the letter reads. “New York residents will no longer be eligible to enroll or re-enroll in CBP’s Trusted Traveler Programs.”
Read a scanned copy of the Department of Homeland Security’s letter to the New York DMV here.
The letter did not state how current members of Trusted Traveler Programs would be affected, or if they would still be allowed to maintain their status through the expiration date.
What Does This Mean for My Global Entry, NEXUS, and TSA PreCheck Status?
Here’s what we know so far:
- existing New York Global Entry members are not affected
- Applications and renewals for Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, and FAST
- It’s not clear how this will affect RealID-compliant licenses
- If you’re in the process of applying for a Trusted Traveler program, there’s no official word on what will happen to your application. However, it will likely depend on whether or not your background check was completed (in which case it will likely still be mailed to you). If your application hasn’t reached that stage of the process, chances are higher that your application will be rejected.
Have More Questions? Ask them in this FlyerTalk thread for quick answers
DHS move echoes the “State of the Union” address’ criticism of “Sanctuary Cities.”
The move comes days after the current president used his “State of the Union” address to criticize “Sanctuary Cities.” Acting secretary Wolf agreed with the president’s statements, and vowed to “counter dangerous state and local laws that prohibit coordination with DHS law enforcement officers.”
“Sanctuary policies are an affront to the rule of law and our Constitution and they are contrary to every instinct that we have as law enforcement professionals,” secretary Wolf stated after the address. “All too often, criminal aliens are released into communities only to re-offend, requiring the men and women of ICE to needlessly risk their lives to track down these fugitives in neighborhoods or at workplaces instead of the security of a local jail.”
Wolf also mentioned similar concerns in his letter to New York DMV officials. Noting their arrest record in New York, the secretary reaffirmed their need to access records from state officials.
“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,” the letter reads. “In the vast majority of these cases, ICE relied on New York DMV records to fulfill its mission.”
State officials in New York have not released a statement to the news. Politicians from New York State have told other media outlets, including CNN, the judgment would be reviewed.
You’re Reading
Allowing basically anyone who has a pulse to have a driver's license? What could possibly go wrong???
@ezefllying - You can start by not putting words into my mouth, and then you can also do some diligent research into weaponizing government agencies to bludgeon political opponents. You only have to look back to our previous president, who weaponized the IRS to harass conservative organizations. Let's not turn this into a political forum, as it appears you would love to take this converation onto this tangent. The fact of the matter is that if the DMV cannot communicate with the DHS, then the DHS cannot perform ANY SORT of background check on new applicants OR existing members of the program. That, in my eyes, is a security concern, and that is the real reason that I feel every single program member holding a NY state ID or DL should be immediately revoked from GE and TSA Pre. As a secondary impact, this is punishment for electing politicians that enact these kinds of policies. These politicians just happen to be Democrats. In all of your brilliance, please enlighten us as to why preventing communication between DMV and DHS is a good idea.
“ If the DMV cannot communicate with DHS, let me say this – the refusals should not just stop with new applicants and renewals, but should continue to revoking all GE and TSA Precheck memberships for those possessing a NY-issued DL or state ID card. This needs to be a lesson to the people of this state that vote for politicians that enact these kinds of policies.” At least you admit the quiet part out loud. Obviously, there is no legitimate basis for revoking the Global Entry credentials of those who were granted them prior to New York’s policy change — DHS doesn’t communicate with the DMV after the credentials have been granted. You’re just agitating to use the U.S. national-security apparatus as a political tool to bludgeon the president’s opponents. Hope that the next Democratic administration, which may be in office eleven months from now, does not respond in kind. Withholding Medicare payments from states that limit access to abortions or refuse to launch state health exchanges? It’s the same mindset.
"the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles is no longer sharing driver’s license and vehicle registration information with several Department of Homeland Security agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection or Immigration and Customs Enforcement" THAT is the reason NYS was kicked out. Other 'Sanctuary States' are still in. Return access and NYC can go back in. This is 100% on NYC.
@GetSetJetSet - Thank you for standing up and clarifying what most are too afraid to say. There are too many whiners and crybabies in this thread that simply don't understand that state agencies and government agencies should communicate, and should be mandated to communicate. Period. I don't see how anything good comes from preventing this communication. I have a friend that was hit by an illegal alien drunk driver that had been released from jail (the ICE detainer was ignored). This is the result of state agencies being barred by law from communicating with government agencies that are tasked with keeping the CITIZENS of the USA safe. There ARE elements of the background check that require information from the DMV (regardless of what the uninformed know-nothings earlier in this thread say). If the DMV cannot communicate with DHS, let me say this - the refusals should not just stop with new applicants and renewals, but should continue to revoking all GE and TSA Precheck memberships for those possessing a NY-issued DL or state ID card. This needs to be a lesson to the people of this state that vote for politicians that enact these kinds of policies.