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Global Entry continues to be the favorite program of many frequent travelers. I’ve personally found it to be extremely useful as it has often helped me skip the line and has saved valuable time. However, as we all know, travel and politics often tend to cross paths. The main reason for this is the fact that any travel is subject to government rules and regulations. This latest news shines light on what’s going on and what implications it may have to Global Entry in the state of New York.

Global Entry Suspension – What’s happened so far

This story is still developing and we will get more updates as time rolls on. However, multiple major news outlets have already reported about the suspension of the program for NY residents.

CNN reports that the news was broken when Tucker Carlson spoke to acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf on Fox News on Wednesday night. You can watch the video of the actual interview here:

The acting secretary of Homeland Security announced on Wednesday that New York state residents can no longer participate in certain Trusted Traveler Programs, including Global Entry, due to provisions in the state’s new “Green Light Law” supporting undocumented immigrants.

The law, which went into effect in December, allows undocumented immigrants to apply for New York driver’s licenses while protecting applicants’ information from immigration enforcement agencies.

Immediate Impact

The report further illustrates the immediate impact of this ruling for the residents of NY.
New York state residents cannot “enroll or re-enroll” in the programs “because we no longer have access to make sure that they meet those program requirements, so we need to do our job,” Wolf added.
DHS asserts that the Green Light law would block DHS access to DMV records. Without that data, DHS will not able to ascertain whether a particular applicant or re-applicant meets the requirements. As per the letter by DHS, the following programs will be suspended. TSA Pre Check isn’t affected by this ruling.
  • Global Entry
  • NEXUS
  • SENTRI
  • FAST

 

The Pundit’s Mantra

Supporters of this ruling point out that DHS having access to DMV records is a vital part of their duties of vetting people while doing background checks. Lack of access to this data impedes their ability to perform their duties. Critics of this ruling point out that this is simply political in nature and is aimed at punishing a voter base in a strong Democratic state in order to score political points in an election year.

No matter what the intent, this ruling will definitely cause inconvenience to frequent travelers in the state of New York.

What do you think about this recent ruling by DHS? Do you think it’s fair or is it simply an aim at scoring political points?

Let us know in the comments section.

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