A coalition of congressional Democrats on Wednesday urged governors of 19 states to take urgent action after uncovering that state motor vehicle departments may be providing "frictionless, self-service access" to driver data to Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agencies.
Dozens of Democratic members of Congress on Wednesday delivered letters to 19 Democratic governors, calling on them to block ICE and other federal agents from accessing their states' driver's license data, citing a little-understood digital network that has granted wide access to law enforcement agencies.
"We write to alert you to the fact that your state is providing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agencies with frictionless, self-service access to the personal data of all of your residents," the lawmakers wrote.
"We urge you to block ICE's access, as Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Washington have already done, and Oregon is in the process of doing."
The letters note that for more than two decades, all 50 states, plus the District of Columbia, have enabled hundreds of law enforcement agencies across the United States and Canada to use state driver databases via a network known as Nlets, formerly the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System.
The network enables the unencumbered search and retrieval of state motor-vehicle records without requiring direct assistance from state employees.
According to one letter, ICE and the Department of Homeland Security's investigative arm together made "nearly 900,000 queries" to the system in the year before Oct. 1.
The lawmakers point out that only a small number of states have already taken steps to block federal access.
They warn that many states may not be fully aware of the breadth of federal access because "few state government officials understand how their state is sharing residents' data with federal and out-of-state agencies."
The move raises significant issues across two major policy fronts.
First, it highlights tensions between state privacy protections and federal immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, which has emphasized stricter border and immigration enforcement.
Second, it highlights the breadth of intergovernmental data-sharing systems and the potential for state citizen information to be used in federal investigations without apparent oversight from the state.
Democratic supporters of states' rights and privacy argue the letters represent a pushback by state governments against an aggressive federal enforcement posture. Republican critics, however, caution that limiting federal access may hinder cross-state law enforcement cooperation, especially in serious criminal matters that transcend state borders.
Some state governors' offices cited by the letters did not immediately respond to requests for comment. ICE and Nlets did not provide comment when contacted.
The letters were addressed to various governors, including Gavin Newsom of California, Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, and Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan.
Among the letter signatories were Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, as well as California Democratic Representatives Sara Jacobs and Zoe Lofgren, along with New York Rep. Adriano Espaillat.
Reuters contributed to this report
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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