DHS suspends New York state access to travel programs over 'sanctuary' law: Fox

[February 06, 2020]  By Ted Hesson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will block New York state residents from most of its "trusted traveler" programs in response to a state law that limits cooperation with federal immigration enforcement, acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf told Fox News on Wednesday.

DHS will suspend the ability of the state's residents to enroll or re-enroll in programs such as Global Entry, which allows faster processing for pre-approved travelers entering the United States, Wolf said in a related letter to New York State officials.

The suspension will also apply to programs that allow for expedited travel to Canada and Mexico, as well as a program for commercial truck drivers.

U.S. President Donald Trump has made his immigration crackdown a focus of his 2020 re-election campaign. Trump criticized so-called "sanctuary" jurisdictions during his annual State of the Union speech on Tuesday night.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) acting Secretary Chad Wolf looks on during a joint message with Honduras' President Juan Orlando Hernandez (not pictured), at the Presidential House in Tegucigalpa, Honduras January 9, 2020. REUTERS/Jorge Cabrera

Wolf singled out a New York law that blocks the state's motor vehicles department from sharing information with immigration enforcement agencies, saying the "lack of security cooperation" from the state necessitated the suspension of the travel programs.

(Reporting by Ted Hesson; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)

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