Dear Editor,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For those residing in New York State who DO NOT have a U.S. Passport, but do possess a New York State Driver\u2019s License or ID, this is intended to bring to your attention the new \u201cGreen Light Laws\u201d. Politicized laws imposed on New York State (NYS) Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), which allows the issuing of Driver Licenses to undocumented immigrants with all rights and privileges. What has not been emphasized, those privileges now impinge on your legal freedom of travel. The law mandates, as of Dec. 16, 2019, that NYS DMV place a data blocking process on all information regarding NYS Driver licensees; information required by Federal law to be accessible to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Patrol (CBP). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Specifically, the provision says NYS DMV \u201cshall not disclose\u201d any records or information to \u201cany agency that primarily enforces immigration law\u201d. The Federal Department of Justice weighed in on the data-blocking provision, calling it \u201clegally suspect\u201d and questioning whether it violates enacted federal law, which requires, as of July 2018, all state issued driver\u2019s licenses are compliant with \u201cReal ID\u201d, the Federal regulations of enhanced licenses that double as proof of identity and U.S. citizenship, and specifically for facilitating international Western Hemisphere travel and Border travel in the North West Hemisphere as in the U.S.A., Canada, Mexico, and the Caribbean. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you have traveled only within the U.S. by plane, you have experienced the checkpoint routines using your Driver License or State issued ID with an embedded chip as a security scan. And if you have traveled to Canada or Mexico you know \u201cit\u2019s not crossing into, but the return trip back\u201d that without this security check you aren\u2019t allowed to cross back from \u201cwhence you came\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is where the unwritten law of \u201cUnintended Consequences\u201d comes into play. Before you leave home or \u201ccontact your legislature” on this infringement\u201d, do some check points of your own. If you have plans to go where verified security will be an issue (with or without a Passport) using transportation of ships, trains and\/or airplanes, you may want to check with your service provider about the validity status of your NYS Enhanced Driver\u2019s License due to the withholding of security verification. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you\u2019re going by car and crossing borders, before you cross over, check with CBP first about your ability to return with the ID you possess. If you have a Federal Issued Passport, you may want to start carrying it, as would a foreign visitor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sincerely,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Florence Alpert<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Candor, N.Y.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dear Editor, For those residing in New York State who DO NOT have a U.S. Passport, but do possess a New York State Driver\u2019s License…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-77014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-letters"],"yoast_head":"\n