It is a public safety issue,' he said in a February 2020 interview. From a state point of view, I want to make sure the people who are driving on our roads pass a driving test. 'In New York, like in 13 other states, we give driver's licenses to undocumented people. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency from accessing New York's motor vehicle records out of concern the federal agency would use the information to track down immigrants in the country illegally.īut Cuomo had said the law's primary intention was to improve public safety by ensuring undocumented motorists are legally authorized to drive. Cuomo's administration had barred the U.S. Trump had been sparring over the federal government's access to state motor vehicle records.

The law prohibited DMV offices from storing applicants' personal information for more than six months and lowered the security thresholds for verifying someone's identity, according to motor vehicle workers.Īt the time the Green Light Law was passed, Cuomo and former President Donald J. DMV workers say the alleged cheating also has been exacerbated by the state's Green Light Law, which went into effect in December 2019 and has allowed thousands of undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses - something that more than a dozen other states also allow.

Cheat on permit test