BLAINE, Wash. — The deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security warns that Washington residents could lose access to the Nexus expedited border crossing program.
The department has already suspended that and other Trusted Traveler Programs for New York residents in response to a state law, and The Northern Light reports deputy secretary Ken Cuccinelli says Washington residents could be next.
New York and Washington both allow undocumented immigrants to get driver licenses, and New York now forbids DHS agencies like Customs and Border Protection and ICE from accessing its licensing records.
Washington’s Department of Licensing also doesn’t provide that information on an executive order from Governor Jay Inslee.
DHS says it needs those records to combat gangs, drug smuggling, human trafficking and other crimes.
Cuccinelli warns Washington lawmakers that, if they pass a similar law, residents will lose access to the Trusted Traveler Programs “just as New York’s did.”