Immigration enforcement is emerging as a burning issue in the race for governor.
Presumptive Republican gubernatorial nominee Bruce Blakeman accused Democratic incumbent Kathy Hochul Sunday of issuing commercial truck driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.
Blakeman said that under Hochul’s watch, more than half of New York’s commercial trucking licenses have gone to drivers who are in the country illegally, with some licenses issued listing drivers as “No Name Given” or “non-domiciled.”
Hochul’s Department of Motor Vehicles is issuing CDLs without verifying legal status or permanent residence, conflicting with federal safety standards, he said.
“Governor Hochul is knowingly putting New Yorkers in danger. She is handing out commercial licenses to people who should never be behind the wheel of an 80,000-pound truck, and the consequences have been deadly,” said Blakeman, currently the Nassau County executive.
In fact, the New York DMV did actually issue CDL’s with “no name given”, which the Post reported on last fall.
Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt reported that a man caught up in a raid that ensnared 125 illegal immigrants in his state had a New York commercial driver’s license with “No Name Given” in the place of his first and middle monikers.
The DMV said then the driver’s license was issued in accordance with procedures with the driver’s identity verified through federal documents, and that the driver had “lawful status” through a federal employment authorization program.
Hochul’s office repeated that line on Sunday, and noted the rules governing CDL’s are set by the federal government in D.C., not in Albany.
New York has a separate law enabling illegal aliens to obtain a regular driver’s license.
Blakeman also blamed Hochul’s policy for two fatal accidents with Hochul’s policy to blame.
In Tennessee last December 9, Yisong Huang, an illegal immigrant who allegedly obtained a New York CDL, caused a massive multi-vehicle crash on I-40, killing one driver and injuring others.
In Indiana last November 14, Goderdzi Gujabidze, an illegal immigrant from Brooklyn holding a New York commercial license, caused a multi-vehicle crash on Interstate 65, killing 23-year-old Indiana National Guardsman Terry Frye.
“Hochul’s policies create a system where individuals without the proper vetting and training — and even those with revoked licenses — can legally drive massive trucks through our communities. That is an unacceptable public safety failure,” Blakeman said.
“My administration will restore common sense and public safety,” Blakeman said. “For every CDL handed out to someone in the country illegally, we will give a CDL to a hard-working New Yorker who plays by the rules.”
Blakeman’s views on immigration enforcement are in line with his pal, President Trump.
Hochul’s campaign defended her public safety record.
“While Governor Hochul has made record investments in public safety and worked with law enforcement to bring crime down, Bruce Blakeman actually let violent crime go up in Nassau, hitting ten-year highs, withheld funding for local law enforcement, and refused to lift a finger when Trump tried to defund the NYPD — because he’d rather protect Donald Trump than his own constituents,” said Hochul campaign spokesperson Ryan Radulovacki.
Meanwhile, Hochul is supporting sanctuary or anti-Immigration and Customs Enforcement policies.
During her State of the State address last week, Hochul said she would push legislation to bar ICE raids at sensitive locations such as schools, houses of worship and hospitals without a judicial warrant.
She also supports a measure going after “unchecked federal aggression,” allowing New Yorkers to sue ICE and other federal agents for violating their constitutional rights in state court.
Hochul’s views are in sync with Democrats outraged over alleged abuses of ICE officers, including the controversial fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good, 37, in Minneapolis.
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