By J.M. Phelps (One News Now)
A former federal immigration agent argues that lives are at risk when immigration authorities are restricted from performing the job they have sworn to do.
Recently, the acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said lives of Americans are being put at risk as the state of New York prohibits federal immigration authorities from accessing Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) databases. Contrarily, the ICE chief noted that Canadian law enforcement personnel are granted access to the driver data.
Michael Cutler, a retired senior special agent with the former Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), isn’t surprised. He argues that decisions being made in New York are leaving the nation susceptible to great harm.
Cutler directed OneNewsNow to a previous press release posted on Governor Andrew Cuomo’s website that, he says, “illustrates that Cuomo fully understands just how vital DMV information is.” The press release announced:
“The Governor is directing $340,000 for the village of New Square to install license plate reader technology, which was used to catch the Monsey attacker, as well as other security cameras. The Governor is directing up to $340,000 to the Town of Ramapo to install the same technology on roads in and around Monsey. The expanded New York State Hate Crimes Task Force, which the Governor announced during his 2020 State of the State address, will evaluate requests from other municipalities for license plate readers.”
However, in contradiction of Governor Cuomo’s statement in support of license plate readers, Cutler makes this point: “Under the [state’s] ‘Green Light Law,’ DMV information cannot be shared with either ICE or with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) – and any local police departments found violating these edicts would be, themselves, blocked from access to that vital database.”
The retired INS official emphasizes that blocking access to the database not only endangers residents of New York State, but undermines national security and safety throughout the United States.
“Drug smugglers and human traffickers, often one and the same, would be able to get their vehicles registered in New York State knowing that U.S. Border Patrol agents on either the Mexican or Canadian borders would not be able to obtain DMV information,” he explains.
Cutler says this information is critical for ICE agents operating through the United States. Not only does it restrict their ability to carry out their sworn duties, he says, but the officers themselves are also put in danger.
He considers it irresponsible and incredibly dangerous for the state of New York to be so “eager to help the Canadian government protect itself against terrorists and criminals while leaving America and Americans vulnerable.”
The former special agent points to an unavoidable fact – an illegal alien terrorist can rent a vehicle to cause harm to the American people. Consider the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center where an illegal immigrant was able to rent the truck that was used in the bombing.
“For terrorists around the world, motor vehicles have become their weapon of choice for deadly terror attacks,” he adds.
He points out that “the 9/11 Commission found that the failure of various agencies to share information left the U.S. vulnerable to the attacks.” Nearly two decades after the 2001 attacks, Cutler says, “it is clear that New York State understands just how important DMV information is to helping to combat crime and terrorism.”
However, the state seems to be acting in direct contradiction. Not only is the state of New York endangering the U.S., Cutler also blames the Left for making irresponsible demands which could also leave the country vulnerable
“The Democrats in Congress are currently demanding documents from the Trump administration to justify the … administration’s decision to block New York State residents from the Global Entry and Trusted Traveler programs,” he points out.
Cutler concludes by suggesting how the president should respond to their request, gleaning from information the country has had available for nearly two decades.
“President Trump should send them just two documents: the 9/11 Commission Report and the previously noted report, 9/11 and Terrorist Travel,” he states.
J.M. Phelps is a counter-terrorism specialist, suicide bombing expert, and freelance journalist, focusing on national security for OneNewsNow. He is also editor and publisher of the website Lantern of Liberty.
Originally published by One News Now on Tuesday, March 17, 2020.
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