Hochul Defends ‘No Name Given’ License Given to Migrant, Blames GOP Critics

New York’s driver’s license policies are once again under fire after the arrest of an immigrant truck driver whose state-issued CDL listed “No Name Given” in place of a first name. The controversy erupted when Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt announced that Anmol, an Indian national detained in a federal raid, carried the unusual New York credential.

Stitt wasted no time blasting Albany.

“If New York wants to hand out CDLs to illegal immigrants with ‘No Name Given,’ that’s on them. The moment they cross into Oklahoma, they answer to our laws,” he posted online, sharing an image of the license that New York later confirmed was legitimate.

The incident, tied to a sweep that netted 125 migrants accused of being in the country illegally, has raised alarms well beyond Oklahoma. Stitt’s office said many of those arrested were operating heavy trucks with state-issued licenses from so-called “sanctuary” states, describing the discovery as a direct threat to public safety.

Walter McLure, spokesperson for the New York Department of Motor Vehicles, admitted the CDL was issued on April 14th with a five-year expiration, but insisted the process followed “proper procedures.” He claimed the license was granted on the basis of federal work authorization documents, arguing the individual had “lawful status.”

Pressed further, the DMV would not disclose which program the immigrant was in or which documents were used to verify his identity. Instead, officials brushed off the issue by saying:

“It is not uncommon for individuals from other countries to have only one name.”

When asked how the DMV even identified the driver after Stitt posted the license online, McLure conceded: “We know who this person is based solely on the information in the picture of the tweet.”

The agency refused to say whether it is cooperating with Oklahoma investigators or to clarify how many other licenses may have been issued under similar circumstances.

Governor Kathy Hochul, however, downplayed the controversy and shifted blame squarely onto Republicans.

“There are people who it is widely accepted in the federal government and passport processing, which is done by the federal government, that if you choose to use one name, a mononym, you’re allowed to do that. And so I think they just made quite a hysterical story about something as a means to deflect from the fact that this is the shutdown. Republicans are responsible and they are trying to grasp at anything they can, even wildly fabricated stories, despite the fact that this person was lawfully here, received this lawfully. You’re allowed legally under federal and state laws to accept one name, that was not zero name,” Hochul told reporters.

Her remarks prompted immediate backlash from critics who accused her of dismissing legitimate public safety concerns.

Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, speaking to Fox News Digital, rejected the notion that work authorization equals lawful immigration status. She placed blame on the Biden administration for enabling states like New York to hand out such licenses, saying it exemplified failed federal enforcement.

Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) also seized on the controversy.

“At every opportunity, Kathy Hochul has turned her back on New Yorkers to bend the knee to the radical Far Left of the Democrat Party that puts illegals and criminals first and hardworking law-abiding New Yorkers last,” she said.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma’s governor emphasized that his state will not tolerate out-of-state loopholes undermining its safety regulations.

This is not the first time Hochul’s administration has come under scrutiny over licensing rules. Hochul's “green light law,” which opened the door for undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, has faced legal challenges for years. The Department of Justice under President Donald Trump called the policy a “frontal assault” on immigration enforcement.

Although commercial driver’s licenses were supposed to be exempt from the green light provisions, critics argue this latest episode proves otherwise. Loopholes tied to federal work authorization programs are being exploited, they say, to issue CDLs without even requiring a full legal name.

Stitt’s office put it bluntly: the 125 arrested migrants, including the New York license-holder, were “a public safety risk by operating 80,000-pound commercial vehicles without proper verification.”

Yet, Hochul has chosen to cast the entire controversy as little more than “Republican propaganda.”

Hochul’s defense of the “No Name Given” license has added fuel to long-standing criticism that her administration prioritizes migrants over New Yorkers.

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Hochul Defends ‘No Name Given’ License Given to Migrant, Blames GOP Critics