US EditionDemocratic-led states are inadvertently sharing drivers' data with ICE, officials say
Democratic lawmakers warn that over 290,000 ICE queries accessed DMV data via Nlets last year, urging governors to increase oversight and block unfettered federal access.
- A group of Democratic lawmakers warned governors in Arizona, California, Colorado and Wisconsin that their states are inadvertently sharing drivers' data with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement . The letters said agencies can obtain residents' personal data directly without state employee knowledge or involvement.
- The National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System, known as Nlets, facilitates DMV data queries from law enforcement agencies, with some states recently restricting access for agencies like ICE.
- Data show Nlets facilitated over 290 million DMV queries in the year before November 12, 2025, including more than 290,000 from unspecified agencies and 600,000 from Homeland Security Investigations, by approximately 18,000 law enforcement agencies.
- Lawmakers urged state governors to block ICE access, saying it would let state employees review data requests, increasing accountability and reducing abuse without hindering crime-fighting.
- Amid oversight concerns, the letter said Nlets facilitates over 290 million DMV data queries, with some from ICE, while few state officials understand the data flows, including possible use of facial recognition technologies.
21 Articles
21 Articles
ICE can access most state driver databases. States have the power to stop it, these federal lawmakers say.
Federal agents can access driver’s license photos and records through a little-understood interstate network, the elected officials said in a letter to governors. Five states have restricted access.
Tennessee partnerships with ICE multiply as feds offer $14B in incentives nationwide | Chattanooga Times Free Press
When President Donald Trump took office in January for a second term, just two Tennessee sheriffs had entered voluntary agreements to assist the federal government in immigration enforcement.
Tennessee partnerships with ICE multiply as feds offer $14B in incentives nationwide
In Tennessee, 48 local and state agencies are partnering with Immigration and Customs Enforcement and reaping financial benefits. (Photo: John Partipilo/Tennessee Lookout)When President Donald Trump took office in January for a second term, just two Tennessee sheriffs had entered voluntary agreements to assist the federal government in immigration enforcement. Tennessee is now one of a handful of states seeing the biggest expansion of immigrati…
Democratic-led states are inadvertently sharing drivers’ data with ICE, officials say
WASHINGTON — Democratic-led states are inadvertently making their drivers’ data available to U.S. immigration authorities through a little-understood digital loophole, a group of lawmakers said Wednesday. In letters released Wednesday, Democratic Senator Ron Wyden and 39 other Democratic lawmakers urged like-minded governors to ensure that their residents’ data wasn’t being vacuumed up by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which has becom…
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