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Massachusetts won’t give ICE confidential plates, Healey says

The Justice Department says the policy endangers officers and gives Massachusetts until May 22 to rescind it or face possible legal action.

  • On Tuesday, Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate demanded Governor Maura Healey rescind a policy denying confidential license plates to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, setting a May 22 deadline for compliance or potential judicial relief.
  • The Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles restricts confidential plates to agencies primarily conducting criminal investigations; the state classifies ICE activities as civil enforcement, refusing to issue confidential registrations to most ICE vehicles.
  • Shumate argued the policy is "plainly unconstitutional," claiming it violates the Supremacy Clause and places officers at risk by making vehicles identifiable, citing a 2022 Supreme Court decision regarding federal government regulation.
  • Healey rejected the demand, with spokesperson Jacqui Manning stating the state will not allow resources "to help ICE operate in secret while they are violating people's rights and making us all less safe."
  • This dispute escalates tensions between the Trump administration and Massachusetts as Healey seeks reelection while pushing legislation to restrict federal immigration enforcement within the Commonwealth.
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elplaneta.com broke the news on Thursday, May 14, 2026.
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