New York's Green Light Law limits state and local cooperation with federal immigration enforcement and shields DMV records, applying uniformly to every county, city, town, and village in the state.
Vehicle and Traffic Law § 201, enacted by the Driver's License Access and Privacy Act of 2019, prohibits the Department of Motor Vehicles from sharing records with any agency that primarily enforces immigration law unless the requester provides a judicial warrant or court order. Personal information collected for driver's licenses cannot be released to ICE or CBP for civil immigration enforcement. Executive Order 170 directs state agencies and officers not to inquire about immigration status unless required by law and not to disclose status information except as required. While New York does not have a single sanctuary statute, these provisions and case law set a statewide floor: localities may go further but cannot compel cooperation with civil ICE detainers. State courthouses are also protected under the Protect Our Courts Act, which bars civil arrests in or near courthouses without a judicial warrant.
DMV employees who knowingly disclose protected records to immigration authorities without a judicial warrant face misdemeanor liability and disciplinary action; civil arrests at courthouses can be challenged and quashed under the Protect Our Courts Act.
See how New York's sanctuary policy preemption rules stack up against other locations.
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