Mother of Kayla Hamilton joins AG Pam Bondi in announcing DOJ lawsuit against New York

BALTIMORE — The murder of a Harford County woman continues to gain national attention as the new Trump administration places immigration policy front and center.

Last week, Tammy Nobles, the mother of Kayla Hamilton, appeared side-by-side with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, in announcing a federal lawsuit against the State of New York.

The U.S. Department of Justice is suing New York over their 2019 Green Light law, allowing state residents over age 16 to obtain a driver's license regardless of citizenship status. The law also limits the sharing of driver data with federal immigration enforcement.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul, State Attorney General Letitia James, and Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Mark Schroder are named in the lawsuit.

During a press conference, Bondi shared the microphone with Nobles allowing her to share Kayla's story.

Kayla, who was diagnosed with autism, was raped and murdered back in July 2022, inside a mobile home in Aberdeen.

DNA evidence led to an undocumented teenage MS-13 gang member from El Salvador named Walter Javier Martinez.

He was reportedly smuggled into the United States illegally back in March of 2022, just four months before Kayla's death.

In January 2024 Nobles filed a $100 million wrongful death lawsuit against the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Health and Human Services (DHHS), accusing the agencies of committing "operational negligence" for allowing Martinez into the country.

Since Kayla's death Nobles has made the rounds in D.C., including testifying before congress and taking part in a White House videoresponding to critics of President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Among those critics is Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown, who has issued guidance to law enforcement, schools, and hospitals, attempting to limit their cooperation with ICE agents.

As for Martinez, he was convicted and is serving 70-years behind bars.