U.S. admits making false statements in New York' Trusted Traveler' suit
Send a link to a friend
[July 24, 2020]
By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. government
admitted late Thursday it had made false statements in a lawsuit brought
by New York state and told a court it would immediately lift a ban on
New York residents participating its Trusted Traveler Program.
The disclosure came hours after the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) had said it would reinstate New Yorkers in the program, which
allows participants faster passage between the United States and either
Canada or Mexico.
In February, the DHS cut off New York from the program in response to
the state's passage last June of a law allowing undocumented immigrants
to apply for driver's licenses and limiting federal access to license
information.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Manhattan in a court filing Thursday
acknowledged some other states and territories withhold driver
information but have been allowed to participate. The revelations, they
said, undermined a central argument that the government "is not able to
assure itself of an applicant’s low-risk status because New York fails
to share relevant DMV information."
The government's court filing said the agencies "deeply regret the
foregoing inaccurate or misleading statements and apologize to the court
and (New York) for the need to make these corrections at this late
stage."
New York sued DHS in February, saying the policy would prohibit 175,000
New Yorkers whose membership in the program expires this year from
re-enrolling, and would "cut off" 80,000 New Yorkers with pending
applications.
[to top of second column]
|
Sunset is seen behind the skyline of Manhattan on the 4th of July in
New York City, U.S., July 4, 2020 REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
New York Attorney General Letitia James said Thursday the DHS
decision to deny the state access was "political retribution, plain
and simple, which is why we filed our lawsuit to stop the president
from targeting and punishing New Yorkers."
In April, the state amended its law that had limited federal
immigration authorities from accessing records from the state's
Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). The change allowed the DMV to
share information "as necessary for an individual seeking acceptance
into a trusted traveler program, or to facilitate vehicle imports
and/or exports."
The DHS policy had prohibited New Yorkers from joining or renewing
participation in so-called Trusted Traveler programs including
Global Entry and three others - FAST, NEXUS AND SENTRI.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by David Gregorio and Gerry
Doyle)
[© 2020 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2020 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
|