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Several U.S. states, including those with laws designed to protect undocumented immigrants, are inadvertently sharing driver's license data with federal immigration authorities. An investigation has revealed that state Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMVs) have been providing information to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), creating a potential conflict with state-level privacy protections.
The data sharing is part of a broader Trump administration effort to consolidate information for immigration enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been working to expand a federal system for citizenship verification by incorporating state-level data. According to a public notice, DHS intends to add state driver’s license information to a centralized database, a move that is part of a federal initiative to pool confidential data from various sources to identify noncitizens for enforcement actions and to check voter registration lists.
While some states have laws allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver's licenses—intended to improve road safety and allow individuals to drive legally—the federal data requests undermine the spirit of these statutes. For instance, an investigation in Washington found that the state's Department of Licensing was among the state agencies sharing driver information with federal authorities, creating significant concern among immigrant communities and civil rights advocates. The issue is not confined to one political party's jurisdiction; DHS has also formally requested similar data from states like Texas.
The practice of using DMV records for immigration enforcement raises significant privacy and civil rights questions, as it effectively turns state agencies into a source for federal immigration surveillance. Advocacy groups argue that this erodes the trust between immigrant communities and state governments, potentially discouraging individuals from obtaining licenses and insurance. The data sharing occurs through various channels, including requests to national networks that aggregate DMV information, sometimes without the full awareness of state officials about its ultimate use by agencies like ICE.
