NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- The Department of Justice is "filing charges" against New York State, Gov. Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, and DMV commissioner Mark Schroeder, over the state's limited cooperation with federal officials on immigration enforcement, newly-confirmed U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Wednesday.
"We're here today because we have filed charges against the state of New York," Bondi, 59, said a press conference in Washington, D.C. "We have filed charges against Kathy Hochul. We have filed charges against Letitia James and Mark Schroeder."
Bondi added, "This is a new DOJ, and we are taking steps to protect Americans, American citizens, and Angel Moms. New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops. It stops today."
Schroeder is included because of the state's Green Light Laws, also known as the Driver's License Act, which allows undocumented individuals to get a driver's license.
James said in a statement, "Our state laws, including the Green Light law, protect the rights of all New Yorkers and keep our communities safe. I am prepared to defend our laws, just as I always have."
Hochul said in a statement nearly two hours after James, "Earlier today, Attorney General Pam Bondi marched in front of the television cameras for a dramatic media briefing to announce she was filing charges against New York State related to our immigration laws. Hours later, when legal papers were shared with reporters, we learned this was smoke and mirrors: the Department of Justice was filing a routine civil action about a law passed in 2019 that has been upheld by the courts time and again."
Hochul explains further, "Here are the facts: our current laws allow federal immigration officials to access any DMV database with a judicial warrant. That's a common-sense approach that most New Yorkers support. But there's no way I'm letting federal agents, or Elon Musk's shadowy DOGE operation, get unfettered access to the personal data of any New Yorker in the DMV system like 16-year-old kids learning to drive and other vulnerable people."
Hochul added, "We expect Pam Bondi's worthless, publicity-driven lawsuit to be a total failure, just like all the others. Let me be clear: New York is not backing down."
But Bondi cited past legal action against other sanctuary states to suggest what's in store for New York if it does not comply with federal immigration law.
"As you know, we sued Illinois, and New York didn’t listen, so now you're next," she said. "Millions of illegal aliens with violent records have flooded into our communities, bringing violence and deadly drugs with them."
"If you don't comply with federal law, we will hold you accountable," she said. "We did it to Illinois, strike one. Strike two is New York. And if you are a state not complying with federal law, you're next. Get ready."