Albany, NY-The Green Light NY Coalition issued the following statement today following the Governor’s press conference in defense of the Green Light Law:
“We commend Governor Andrew Cuomo for his ongoing commitment to the safety and security of all New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status. Furthermore, we applaud his strong commitment to the Green Light Law and pledge to ensure that the information collected under its auspices and maintained in the Department of Motor Vehicle database cannot be accessed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol, and is protected from misuse.
As the Governor rightly said yesterday, it is in the best interest of all New Yorkers that everyone driving on the roads has a license to do so. The Green Light Law accomplishes this, and it continues to be a smart, sound policy that has withstood legal challenges and should not, as the Governor also said, be used as a political ploy by a White House that has repeatedly demonstrated its anti-immigrant policies and ideology.
A growing number of New Yorkers agree with the governor on Green Light. The latest Siena poll indicated a two percent increase in support for the new law that allows undocumented immigrants to apply for and obtain a standard driver’s license as long as they pass the written and driving tests required of all new drivers – reaching the highest percentage of support to date.
As a coalition, we thank the Governor for his support and, as always, look forward to the continued success of the Green Light Law and the benefits it brings all New Yorkers.”