The Trump administration looked into using "friendly" states to get driver information being withheld by so-called "sanctuary" states such as New York, and sought ways to possibly retaliate against those uncooperative states, according to a DHS memo obtained and reported by Buzzfeed News.
Among the possible plans of retaliation were limiting access to records by closing down DHS offices in those states, refusing to accept their state's identification, slashing TSA PreCheck services and subpoenaing driver's licenses of illegal immigrants.
It is not clear whether the suggestions in the memo might have been carried out, Buzzfeed reported, or whether all were merely left at the suggestion stage.
The signed memo was written by James McCament, acting head of the DHS policy office, on Jan. 27, to acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf.
The White House has criticized New York in particular for its "Green Light Law," which allows driver licenses for illegal immigrants, and prevents state officials from giving driver information without a warrant in immigration enforcement cases.
The memo was written a week before the Trump administration announced New Yorkers would no longer be allowed to use "trusted traveler" programs, including "Global Entry," to speed airport security checks.
Cutting the programs was among the eight options listed in the memo.
Another plan was using "friendly" states to obtain driver information since all states have access to each other's DMV databases through REAL ID requirements.
© 2023 Newsmax. All rights reserved.