Federal judge upholds New York licenses for undocumented immigrants
U.S. District Judge Anne M. Nardacci in Albany ruled on Dec. 23, 2025 that New York’s Green Light Law, which allows residents to obtain standard driver’s licenses without proving lawful immigration status, does not violate the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, rejecting the Trump administration’s lawsuit led by Attorney General Pam Bondi. The Justice Department had argued the law undermines federal immigration enforcement and discriminates against federal authorities, but Nardacci found DOJ failed to state a valid preemption claim, leaving in place New York’s policy of accepting foreign IDs and limiting federal access to certain DMV data.
📌 Key Facts
- Judge Anne M. Nardacci issued a 23-page opinion upholding New York’s Green Light Law against a Trump DOJ challenge.
- The law lets applicants without Social Security numbers use foreign passports or licenses to obtain standard (non-commercial) driver’s licenses after testing.
- DOJ’s February lawsuit, naming Gov. Kathy Hochul and AG Letitia James, claimed the law was a 'frontal assault' on federal immigration authority, but the court ruled the administration failed to show a Supremacy Clause violation.
📊 Relevant Data
There are approximately 836,000 unauthorized immigrants in New York State as of 2023.
Profile of the Unauthorized Population: New York — Migration Policy Institute
The top countries of origin for unauthorized immigrants in New York State in 2023 are Mexico (135,000 or 16%), Ecuador (89,000 or 11%), Guatemala (71,000 or 8%), Dominican Republic (70,000 or 8%), and El Salvador (68,000 or 8%).
Profile of the Unauthorized Population: New York — Migration Policy Institute
Granting undocumented immigrants driver's licenses increases overall fatal crashes by nearly 5%, equivalent to 0.46 more fatal crashes in a county per year.
Unauthorized immigrants are more than twice as likely to be victims of wage theft for minimum wage violations compared to U.S.-born citizens (37.1% vs. 15.6%).
Unauthorized immigrants and the economy — Economic Policy Institute
The average effect of immigration on native-born wages is essentially zero, based on a review of more than 270 estimates from 27 published studies.
Unauthorized immigrants and the economy — Economic Policy Institute
New York City's foreign-born population remained stable at about 3.1 million or 38% of the total population from 2010 to 2023, with naturalized citizens increasing by 17% (from 1.55 million to 1.81 million) while undocumented immigrants decreased by 19% (from 659,000 to 535,000).
Data Briefing: New York City Immigrants — Center for Migration Studies
The Immigration and Naturalization Act of 1965 abolished the national origins quota system, replacing it with a family reunification preference system, leading to increased immigration from diverse regions.
Timeline: U.S. Postwar Immigration Policy — Council on Foreign Relations
The Immigration Act of 1990 increased annual immigrant visas from 500,000 to 700,000, prioritizing high-skilled workers and introducing a diversity visa lottery.
Timeline: U.S. Postwar Immigration Policy — Council on Foreign Relations