Pam Bondi became Attorney General just a little over a week ago. The DOJ website doesn’t even have her official biography or portrait up yet.

That hasn’t stopped the new AG from getting directly to business. Her first day on the job, Bondi announced a lawsuit against the state of Illinois and the city of Chicago for obstructing federal immigration law. Of course, both Governor J.B. Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson, who are both named in the lawsuit, say they are going to fight. Yesterday evening, Bondi held her first press conference, and announced a second lawsuit against the state of New York for the same thing, while singling out Governor Kathy Hochul, state Attorney General Letitia James, and the head of the Department of Motor Vehicles, Mark Schroeder.

“This is a new DOJ,” Bondi announced at a news conference. “New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops. It stops today.”

Bondi cited New York’s Green Light laws, also known as the Driver’s License Act, which allows illegal immigrants to get a driver’s license.

The law also prevents certain federal agencies from accessing New York State’s driver’s license information.

“They have green light laws, meaning they’re giving a green light to any illegal alien in New York, where law enforcement officers cannot check their identity if they pull them over,” Bondi said. “And law enforcement officers do not have access to their background. And if these great men and women pull over someone and don’t have access to their background, they have no idea who they’re dealing with, and it puts their lives on the line every single day.

“If you don’t comply with federal law, we will hold you accountable,” Bondi said. “We did it to Illinois, strike one. Strike two is New York. And if you are a state not complying with federal law, you’re next. Get ready.”

Bondi was joined by “angel mom” Tammy Nobles of Maryland, whose 20-year-old daughter, Kayla Hamilton, was raped and murdered by an illegal immigrant and MS-13 member in 2022.

AG Pam Bondi hosts Tammy Nobles at DOJ. Nobles' daughter, Kayla, was raped and murdered by a 17-year-old MS-13 member who was allowed to stay in the USA.

She notes that "health and human services called him a nice boy" who "showed age appropriate behavior." pic.twitter.com/BZnrYHeojw

— The Washington Observer (@WashObserver) February 12, 2025

Hochul and James have responded via statements. One of them sounds a little more defiant than the other.

“Gov. Hochul has been clear from day one: she supports deporting violent criminals who break our laws, believes that law-abiding families should not be targets, and will coordinate with federal authorities who have a judicial warrant,” her press secretary Avi Small said in a statement.

“We can’t comment further on a press conference announcing a potential lawsuit that has not yet been filed in any court.”

James also fired back in a statement hours later.

“Our state laws, including the Green Light law, protect the rights of all New Yorkers and keep our communities safe. I am prepared to defend our laws, just as I always have.”

While Bondi has every legal right to insist that states comply with federal immigration law, one can’t help but wonder what all the players involved are thinking right about now.

(record scratch)

“And it was at that moment that Democrats realized maybe trying to throw Trump in jail wasn’t the best choice…” https://t.co/nunblYJjFC

— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) February 12, 2025

New York has long been a “sanctuary state” target, and the recent FEMA debacle that saw the “clawback” of $59 million – and the firing of four FEMA bureaucrats – that would have paid for illegal migrants to continue living in luxury hotels. But Attorney General Bondi is looking at more than just the housing issues. It appears that she is openly warning states that offer drivers’ licenses to illegals that they may be her next target.

And New York and Illinois aren’t the only states who do that.

At least 19 states and the District of Columbia have enacted similar laws, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. They’re often called “Green Light” or “Drive Only License” laws and some have been in effect for decades.

The details of these laws can differ by state, including whether a driver’s information can be shared with federal authorities – a key sticking point for Bondi, who called New York’s law a “green light to illegal immigration.”

Besides New York, other states with drive-only laws include California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Washington, which has the oldest one. It dates back to 1993 and allows people without Social Security numbers to provide alternative documentation to show proof of residence, such as a utility bill or a tax identification number.

With the apparent enforcement of the REAL ID Act – which was passed by Congress in 2005 and supposed to be implemented by 2008, and then delayed for years on end – about to begin in May, Bondi is clearly using these drivers’ license laws as a guide to which states to target first for obstruction and non-compliance with federal immigration law. Any one of these states (and how Washington DC gets away with offering drivers’ licenses for illegals, I have no idea) now has a target on their proverbial backs that Bondi is going to aim at.

“Violent criminals, gang members, drug traffickers, human smugglers, will no longer terrorize the American people, and that is why we are here today,” she concluded. “You will be held accountable if you do not follow federal law. It’s over, it ends, and we’re coming after you.”

Bondi said that she will fight any state or official who does not comply all the way up to the Supreme Court and she is confident she will win.

She also did not rule out the possibility of criminal charges being filed in the future — something that Border Czar Tom Homan has mentioned in recent weeks.

Would Attorney General Bondi actually arrest and criminally charge an elected state official for defying federal law? I think she would. Which official is going to try her patience and volunteer as tribute to get arrested first? I have a feeling we may find out sooner rather than later.

Featured image: original Victory Girls art by Darleen Click