Trump Admin Cracks Down On NJ Law That Lets Illegal Immigrants Get Driver's License

Stringent rules await immigrants of the United States of America. Trump administration plans on tightening the new laws in New York and New Jersey, which allow migrants to obtain driver’s licenses without adequate evidence as to whether they are in the U.S legally.

Chad Wolf, the acting secretary of Homeland Security, had released a memo on Tuesday to all the components of Homeland Security, which include U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Coast Guard and the Transportation Security Administration, requesting an insightful probe into how the laws affect its enforcement efforts.

The new law comes soon after New York’s law came to effect in December. New York is currently the 13th state which enables immigrant drivers to get authorized licenses without legal immigration status. A similar law was proposed by New Jersey lawmakers in December. At present, New York City houses 500,000 immigrants in the United States without adequate legal documentation.

As per a media outlet; Wolf said in his memo, obtained by The Associated Press, that the department must be “prepared to deal with and counter these impacts as we protect the homeland.”

Going by the current statistics as per the Fiscal Policy Institute; an estimated 265,000 immigrants without legal documents were expected to obtain driver’s licenses within three years, and a majority of them resided in New York City.

Wolf's directive inquires each agency survey as to what DMV information is already available, how it is used in day-to-day operations, and what are the security consequences without the data.

“The Trump administration takes the mission of protecting the Homeland very seriously,” said DHS spokeswoman Heather Swift. Swift asserted that the existing laws weren’t on par with the security standards in the country, and the unprecedented rise in the number of undocumented immigrants owing to existing lenient laws called for proactive measures. “These types of laws make it easier for terrorists and criminals to obtain fraudulent documents,” Swift added.

Citing the reasons behind the move, New York authorities and other state officials believe that the new laws are meant to reduce the number of uninsured people, improve traffic safety and opportunities.