(Bloomberg) -- The acting U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security said he’s “happy to get sued” over the Trump administration’s ban on New York State residents participating in U.S. pre-screening programs that help travelers move quickly through airports.
“My job is to make sure the program maintains its integrity, so individuals in New York are processed and evaluated the same as individuals in Michigan or Minnesota or California,” Chad Wolf said on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures.” “I’m happy to get sued for doing our job.”
Federal authorities on Thursday moved to block New York State residents from joining programs that travelers use to quickly move through airport security and customs. New York’s attorney general plans to sue to stop the ban.
The administration cited new limits on federal access to state driver-license data aimed at protecting undocumented immigrants. The department will no longer let New York residents sign up for or renew enrollments in Trusted Traveler programs such as Global Entry.
Senseless Retaliation
House Democrats said in a letter to Wolf that the move was political -- a “senseless, retaliatory decision” that must be reversed.
“Your justification for this sudden policy shift appears to be no more than a pretext,” the Democrats wrote in the letter, which was dated Friday and released Saturday. Among the signers was Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi.
The change “may be an improper attempt to use official DHS policy to punish the people of New York” for a disagreement with the Trump administration, the lawmakers said in the letter, which also was signed by Oversight Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney of New York.
New York’s legislation restricting Customs and Border Protection access to the records “makes us less safe and shields criminals,” CBP Acting Commissioner Mark Morgan said in a statement announcing the change.
On Sunday, Wolf said New York was the only state that restricts CBP access to its data across the board, “not only for immigration purposes, but for law enforcement purposes, customs purposes, and also for trade and travel facilitation purposes.”
Democratic Representatives Kathleen Rice, Yvette Clarke, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York also signed the letter to Wolf.
New York residents enrolled in the Global Entry program can continue using their passes until they expire, but between 150,000 and 200,000 people a year will be unable to renew their participation.
In announcing plans to sue, New York State Attorney General Letitia James said the ban “is political retribution, plain and simple.”
Global Entry gives those arriving in the U.S. expedited passage through customs for five years following a background check and interview with DHS. It’s also linked to the department’s “TSA Pre-Check” program, giving most Global Entry members expedited passage through airport security.
“We recognize that many New York residents and businesses will be negatively affected by this change, but we cannot compromise the safety and security of our homeland,” Morgan said in Thursday’s statement. “When states take negative measures that hinder our ability to protect our great country, we must respond.”
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