A plan to post signs featuring the Immigration and Customs Enforcement tipline at Erie County Auto Bureau are running into issues – but not for the reasons you might think.

Last week, Erie County Clerk Mickey Kearns, D, said he would post signs with the I.C.E. tipline at every auto bureau customer service window. The move, in response to the state’s soon-to-be-effective Green Light Law granting driver’s license to undocumented immigrants, caused a stir on its own with elected officials and the general public coming out on both sides.

However, it’s the slogan that’s above the phone number that’s under the microscope now. The signs include the relatively well-known phrase, “If you see something, say something.”

Less well-known, perhaps, is the New York City Metropolitan Transportation Authority owns the trademark to the sentence. Tuesday, an MTA spokesperson confirmed it is preparing a cease and desist notice for the Erie County Clerk’s Office.

Kearns said his office was aware of the issue and was conferring with attorneys Tuesday afternoon. He said he would release a statement shortly.

The Niagara County Clerk said he planned to post similar signs but had not said if they would include the same slogan.

Updated: Here’s the full statement from Kearns.

I was advised by Immigration and Customs Enforcement that the Green Light Law creates a significant public safety issue. The United States Department of Justice filed a brief stating the information sharing prohibitions of the Green Light Law could endanger public safety and law enforcement.

A report from the Fiscal Policy Institute projected that the MTA will receive $10.8 million in revenues from the passage of the Green Light Law. With MTA objecting to signs that seek to combat the public safety concerns of ICE and the Department of Justice, it makes me question MTA’s motivations.

After all, the 9/11 commission report cited the hijackers embedded themselves in our country by state issued drivers licenses and recommended a federal licensing scheme, now known as REAL ID, to board planes and enter federal facilities. The REAL ID provisions will not go into effect for another 10 months and this gap is concerning.