New Yorkers Are Now Allowed to Enroll in Trusted Traveler Programs Again

Today, the Department of Homeland Security announced it will lift its ban on the Trusted Traveler Program (TTP) for New York residents.

In December, a new state law took effect allowing New York residents to apply for driver’s licenses without having to prove they are in the U.S. legally. Part of that law prohibiting the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles from giving records to federal immigration agents. In response to that, the Department of Homeland Security decided it would no longer allow New Yorkers to enroll, or renew their membership in “trusted traveler programs” that make it easier for people traveling internationally to get through border security, including Global Entry.

Earlier this year, New York said it would file a lawsuit challenging the Department of Homeland Security’s decision to block New Yorkers from participating in “trusted traveler programs”.

After DHS cut off the TTP program in February, Governor Andrew Cuomo and the state legislature amended the law that prevents sharing of information to federal law enforcement. New York amended the Green Light Law to expressly allow for information-sharing of NY DMV records “as necessary for an individual seeking acceptance into a trusted traveler program, or to facilitate vehicle imports and/or exports.” However, “New York State continues to restrict sharing DMV information with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for other enforcement efforts,” the announcement says.