AG Bondi Sues New York Over Handling of Illegal Immigration

AG Bondi warned other states they could face lawsuits if they didn’t comply with federal law.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, joined by Tammy Nobles (L), mother of Kayla Hamilton who was killed by an illegal immigrant, speaks during a press briefing at the Department of Justice in Washington on Feb. 12, 2025. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

WASHINGTON—Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Feb. 12 that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing New York officials and accused the state of prioritizing illegal immigrants over U.S. citizens.

“If you don’t comply with federal law, we will hold you accountable,” she said at a press conference at DOJ headquarters in Washington. She told other states they were next if they didn’t comply.

“New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens,” Bondi said. “It stops today.”

The lawsuit targets New York’s Attorney General Letitia James, Gov. Kathy Hochul, and Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) Commissioner Mark Schroeder over the state’s Driver’s License Access and Privacy Act, commonly called the Green Light Law.

The 2019 law allows noncitizens to apply for driver’s licenses and bars the DMV from sharing any records with immigration enforcement agencies unless presented with a court order or warrant.

“DMV information is critical to federal immigration agencies—in particular their ability to identify and remove those who are here illegally,” reads the complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York.

“From vehicle stops to border crossings to executing arrests and searches, immigration authorities depend on these records to assess real-time the situations they face and the people they encounter. But New York’s Green Light Law deprives them of this insight; and in turn, unnecessarily forces brave law enforcement officers into dangerous and uncertain circumstances.”

Bondi noted the law also includes a “tip-off” provision that requires the DMV to inform illegal immigrants if a federal agency requests their information.

“It’s tipping off an illegal alien, and it’s unconstitutional, and that’s why we filed this lawsuit,” she said.

Specifically, the complaint holds that New York’s Green Light Law violates the U.S. Constitution’s supremacy clause, which establishes the Constitution as “the supreme law of the land,” and asks the court to strike it down.

In response, Hochul wrote in a post on social media platform X that her team expects the “worthless, publicity-driven lawsuit to be a total failure.”

“New York is proud that immigrants from across the globe come here searching for a better life, and we’re protecting all New Yorkers by cracking down on violent criminals,” the governor wrote.

The lawsuit follows another Justice Department filing alleging that state and local laws in Illinois interfered with federal immigration enforcement.

Bondi’s announcement was made as the administration pursued multiple avenues for beefing up immigration enforcement. Earlier this month, Bondi ordered a pause on all funds to sanctuary jurisdictions.

“Unlawful border crossings and illegal migration into the United States have reached record levels, resulting in a substantial and unacceptable threat to our national security and public safety,” she said in a Feb. 5 memo.