US House bill would defund states providing driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants

Republican lawmakers want to withhold federal funding from states that provide driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.

Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-New York, re-introduced the Red Light Act, which would strip federal highway funding from any state that offers driver’s licenses or identification cards to illegals.

“Our nation is grappling with an unprecedented migrant crisis, yet some states, like New York, are incentivizing and rewarding criminals with driver’s licenses and identification cards,” Tenney told Fox News. “In New York, the Green Light Law has given licenses to illegal immigrants, allowing these dangerous individuals to roam freely in our country, brutally attacking, raping, and murdering members of our community.  

“In addition, [New York’s law] also restricts law enforcement from accessing DMV records, preventing the enforcement of our nation’s immigration laws. This legislation ensures states that refuse to comply with our nation’s immigration policies are not rewarded with federal funding.” 

In past sessions, former Rep. Debbie Lesko, R-Arizona, sponsored the proposal. 

“Our nation is dealing with the worst border crisis on record, yet some states have refused to address this crisis and instead have provided illegal immigrants driver’s licenses and identification cards,” Lesko said in a June 2023 statement. “I am working to hold these states accountable for their disregard for our nation’s immigration laws by ensuring that states that ignore our laws are not rewarded with federal funding for highways.” 

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the aforementioned Green Light bill into law in 2019. In the first month alone, over 50,000 illegal immigrants obtained driver’s licenses in the state, Fox News reported. 

If New York does not repeal the Green Light law, Trump border czar Tom Homan has proposed blocking vehicles with New York license plates from entering the United States from the Canadian border. 

“To me, this is a high priority,” Homan told the Buffalo News. “I grew up in New York state. I still own a home in the state. What happens in New York means a lot to me.” 

Current Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, disagrees with Homan’s proposal but said she’d be willing to speak with him about it. 

“That would be bizarre to me that anyone thinks that stopping our vehicles from coming in and out of our country, keeping New Yorkers in a foreign country, is a smart path forward,” Hochul said recently. “I’d like to sit down and have that conversation.” 

Currently, 19 states and the District of Columbia allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Washington.