New York Residents face Problems with the Trusted Traveler Programs
Car transport is going to change for those who live in the state of New York. According to recent news from the United States Customs and Border Patrol, New York residents are no longer eligible to apply for or renew a membership with the Trusted Traveler Programs. The changes come from new legislation known as the “Driver’s License Access and Privacy Act”. The act prohibits Customs and Border Patrol from accessing information maintained by the New York Department of Motor Vehicles. Customs and Border Patrol is not able to complete security checks for the program renewals and applications that the residents of New York submit to them. This provides customs with an increase in security risks. Residents of New York will not be eligible to apply or renew their membership in the programs. Customs and Border Patrol will also cancel all pending program applications submitted by New York residents, and refunds will automatically be processed. Those residents who are currently enrolled in the programs will still be allowed to utilize their benefits up until the expiration dates.
The state of New York alleges that they ensured these new laws were enforced to protect its citizens from potential deportation tracking. However, many citizens are not happy with the change. Some citizens are stating that they are being charged $100 for the normal application. Then a few days later these same citizens get notified that their application was not accepted due to being citizens of New York. The downside of that? The $100 was still charged to their credit card and doesn’t get added back automatically, like Customs says it will. It takes a while before citizens get a refund of their money.
Trusted Traveler Programs affect Auto Transport to Other Countries
A few days after the Department of Homeland Security announced its new policies, the state of New York filed a lawsuit against the federal government. The lawsuit was done because New York citizens thought it was unconstitutional or unjust to deny New Yorkers access to travel programs. However, while this is an unjust thing for citizens, it is also causing problems for those in the auto transport industry. Many auto transport companies are finding that cars from New York are not able to be transported. Customs will not be able to verify the car’s title through the DMV in order to allow that car to be transported across the border. So why is this important for auto transport companies?
If Customs is unable to verify the information needed to prove this car is a valid purchase and able to be moved, then people in Canada and other foreign locations buying used cars out of New York will not be able to transport their vehicle to their home. The auto industry will drastically be affected, especially if their main target customers are those in New York. Unless the laws are adjusted, then auto transport companies can say goodbye to easy New York auto transports, or rather lack thereof.