EXCLUSIVE: Pritzker critic in Congress introduces bill to crackdown on sanctuary states ‘gambling with America

EXCLUSIVE: Illinois Republican Rep. Mary Miller, a critic of Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker, is introducing a bill to crack down on sanctuary states “gambling with American lives” by allowing illegal immigrants to obtain commercial driver’s licenses.

In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, Miller’s office said the bill, titled the SAFE Driving Laws Act, will address the 19 sanctuary states creating an “extreme level of risk for all those on the road” by allowing illegals to obtain both individual driver’s licenses and commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs).

If passed, the bill would withhold funds from the National Highway Performance and Surface Transportation Block Grant programs from states that give illegal immigrants driver’s licenses or fail to share information about criminal aliens with the federal government.

States not in compliance with the law by fiscal year 2027, which begins in October 2026, will have 50% of the funding from the two programs withheld for the entire fiscal year and for any subsequent year that the state remains in noncompliance.

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According to Miller’s office, this withholding is one of the highest among federal highway penalties and significantly higher than the penalty for not enforcing the federal drinking age, which is an 8% withholding.

The office estimates that by not complying with this law, sanctuary states would lose out on millions to billions in federal transportation funding. Using fiscal year 2025 numbers, Miller’s office estimates that California would lose out on roughly $1.9 billion, Illinois $788 million and New York $900 million.

Diana Crofts-Pelayo, a spokesperson for Gov. Gavin Newsom, responded to Miller’s bill by telling Fox News Digital, “this is a witch hunt based on lies against states that follow federal law.”

This comes as Indian illegal immigrant Harjinder Singh faces charges of vehicular homicide in Florida for making an illegal U-turn in St. Lucie County, causing the deaths of three people. Singh was granted work authorization by the Biden administration in 2021 and later obtained a license in Washington in 2023 and then a CDL in California in 2024.

Following the incident, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration examined Singh’s English proficiency and road sign comprehension. The illegal migrant was only able to identify just one out of four road signs during the test and correctly answered only two of 12 questions surrounding his ability to understand English.

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Besides cracking down on states issuing illegal licenses, Miller’s bill would also penalize states that prohibit or restrict local or state government entities from collecting and sending to or receiving immigration enforcement information from the Department of Homeland Security.

The bill also stipulates that both the secretaries of Transportation and Homeland Security maintain a publicly available database of each state’s compliance or noncompliance with the law.

Miller criticized leaders in her own state in particular, telling Fox News Digital that “sanctuary states like Illinois are gambling with American lives by handing out driver’s licenses and CDLs to illegal aliens.”

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“It’s a dangerous, irresponsible policy that puts innocent Americans in grave danger,” she said, adding, “My bill will ensure that these states comply or risk losing federal funding.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Pritzker’s office as well as the office of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul for comment but did not immediately receive a response.