WASHINGTON
– The acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director
and federal, state and local law enforcement officials hosted a news
conference today to address how the Green Light Law in the state of New
York impacts public safety. Hosted at the Rensselaer County Sheriff’s
Office in Troy, New York, 17 federal, state, and local law enforcement
agencies gathered to implore the State of New York to consider the
ramifications of the Green Light Law.“By
restricting access to all DMV information, the Green Light Law stands as
a dangerous roadblock to ongoing federal investigations into a broad
range of criminal activity,” said Acting ICE Director Matthew T.
Albence. “Information sharing is the lifeblood of law enforcement. The
inability to access this information puts our sworn federal agents and
officers, and the communities we serve, unnecessarily at risk.”
ICE
is not asking the State of New York to provide a list of illegal
aliens, or to identify which individuals in its databases are here
illegally, Albence explained at the press conference. ICE needs access
to the information – just like all other law enforcement agencies that
work in the state – to support investigative efforts, not only in New
York, but also across the country and around the world, he said. ICE’s
ability to identify and dismantle a transnational criminal organization
often depends on getting the right piece of information into the right
hands at the right time.
The National Sheriffs Association, New
York State Sheriffs Association, New York State Police Chiefs, Federal
Law Enforcement Officers Association, New York City Sergeants Benevolent
Association, Rensselaer County Executive, Rensselaer County Sheriff,
Rensselaer County Clerk, Washington County Sheriff, Saratoga County
Sheriff, Albany County Legislator, Saratoga County Clerk, New York
Fraternal Order of Police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and
Explosives (ATF) New York, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of
New York, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York, the Erie
County Clerk, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection participated.