Sanctuary policies just met a hard stop. A Republican from Illinois is moving to force blue states to choose between federal highway cash and licenses for illegal immigrants. The fight is about safety, accountability, and who sets the rules of the road.
Miller is introducing the SAFE Driving Laws Act to crack down on sanctuary states “gambling with American lives” by allowing illegal immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses and commercial driver’s licenses, her office said. The bill draws a clear line: protect citizens first or lose federal money.
Under the proposal, states that give illegal immigrants driver’s licenses—or fail to share information about criminal aliens with the federal government—would be hit where it hurts. The penalties target the National Highway Performance and Surface Transportation Block Grant programs.
Compliance has a deadline. Starting in fiscal year 2027, which begins in October 2026, any state still in violation would see 50% of those program funds withheld for the entire fiscal year and for every year it stays out of line. That penalty dwarfs the 8% withholding tied to the federal drinking age.
The numbers are serious. Using fiscal year 2025 figures, Miller’s office estimates that California would forfeit about \$1.9 billion, Illinois \$788 million, and New York \$900 million if they refuse to comply. That is money for roads, bridges, and safety projects redirected until states enforce the law.
The bill also takes on sanctuary gag orders. It would penalize states that prohibit or restrict local or state entities from collecting and sending, or receiving, immigration-enforcement information with the Department of Homeland Security. To keep the pressure public, it requires the secretaries of Transportation and Homeland Security to maintain a state-by-state compliance database.
“Sanctuary states like Illinois are gambling with American lives by handing out driver’s licenses and CDLs to illegal aliens,” Miller said.
“It’s a dangerous, irresponsible policy that puts innocent Americans in grave danger,” she said.
“My bill will ensure that these states comply or risk losing federal funding.”
Blue-state leaders are already firing back. A spokesperson for California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the measure “a witch hunt based on lies against states that follow federal law.”
The stakes were underscored by a deadly crash in Florida. Indian illegal immigrant Harjinder Singh faces vehicular homicide charges after allegedly making an illegal U-turn in St. Lucie County that killed three people. Records show he received work authorization from the Biden administration in 2021, then obtained a license in Washington in 2023 and a commercial driver’s license in California in 2024.
After the crash, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration examined Singh’s English proficiency and road-sign comprehension. Officials found he could identify just one out of four road signs and correctly answered only two of 12 questions about his ability to understand English. That is exactly the kind of failure voters expect lawmakers to fix before more lives are lost.
Miller’s bill is built to change incentives. States that shield illegal immigrants and muzzle cooperation with DHS would face automatic, public, and painful consequences. States that enforce the law and share information would keep their infrastructure dollars and their roads safer.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul were asked for comment but did not immediately respond, according to the report. Voters, however, are responding—demanding order on the roads and accountability from the officials who set the rules.
This moment calls for clarity and backbone. President Trump’s law-and-order approach—end sanctuary loopholes, enforce the border, back the police—matches what this bill aims to do on the roads. Choose safety over symbolism. Tie funding to cooperation. Protect American families before another preventable tragedy proves the point.
Stand firm. Cut off the incentives that attract lawlessness. Make every state pick: uphold the law and safeguard our communities, or forfeit the cash and face your voters. That’s how you restore order—and it’s how conservatives win.