Cuomo: Feds can have DMV database, but not social security numbers
Gov. Andrew Cuomo offered the Trump administration a new compromise Friday, saying New York would be willing to reinstate access for the federal government to the state’s DMV database — but would not hand over the social security numbers of its residents.
It was the first time the offer was made publicly, though Cuomo said later Friday that he’d already done so weeks ago through private negotiations with the federal government.
Cuomo, later Friday, went a step further and said he was considering stripping the state’s DMV database of social security numbers altogether. That would shield undocumented immigrants from being identified by the federal government if the database was made available through other means, Cuomo said.
“In addition, as many national, state and local law enforcement agencies currently have access to our DMV database and the potential for surreptitious access to the database is very real, I am exploring alternatives to minimize the harm caused by unauthorized use of our database such as removal of social security numbers – which could be used to evidence undocumented status – and increasing the penalty for unauthorized use of the DMV database,” Cuomo said.
Read more: https://blog.timesunion.com/capitol/archives/289397/cuomo-feds-can-have-dmv-database-but-not-social-security-numbers/