Lawmakers caution Democratic governors that states are providing drivers’ data to ICE

The “Information Gap” Exposing Resident Data

A group of 40 Democratic lawmakers, led by Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon and Representative Adriano Espaillat of New York, sent letters to 19 Democratic governors warning that their states are inadvertently providing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with “frictionless, self-service access” to residents’ personal data through the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (Nlets). This nonprofit network, managed by state police agencies, facilitates the sharing of driver’s license and vehicle registration information between approximately 18,000 federal, state, local, tribal, and territorial law enforcement agencies across the United States and Canada.

Key concerns highlighted in the letters:

• In the year preceding October 1, 2025, Nlets facilitated over 290 million queries for DMV data, with more than 292,000 queries from ICE and approximately 605,000 from Homeland Security Investigations
• Despite several states enacting laws to prevent driver’s license data from being accessed by ICE without a court order, the agency continues to have warrantless, self-service access to driver databases in all but five states
• The technical complexity of the Nlets system means few state government officials understand how their state is sharing residents’ data with federal and out-of-state agencies
• Data accessible through Nlets includes driver’s licenses, vehicle registrations, home addresses, and ID photos that can be used for biometric surveillance

States Taking Action to Block ICE Access

While most states remain connected to the Nlets system with full federal access, several Democratic-led states have already taken steps to protect their residents’ privacy. Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New York, and Washington have blocked ICE access to their DMV data as of early November 2025, while Oregon is actively working on implementing a similar process. The lawmakers emphasized that each state has the authority to decide what data it makes available through Nlets and can limit queries from federal and out-of-state law enforcement agencies or bar certain agencies entirely.

States that received warning letters include:

• Arizona (Gov. Katie Hobbs)
• California (Gov. Gavin Newsom)
• Colorado (Gov. Jared Polis)
• Wisconsin (Gov. Tony Evers)
• Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and the Virgin Islands

Benefits of blocking ICE access:

• Increased accountability through state-level review of data requests
• Protection of immigrant communities in sanctuary states
• Reduced potential for abuse of sensitive personal information
• Maintenance of public trust in state DMV systems

Balancing Public Safety and Privacy Protection

The lawmakers stressed that blocking ICE’s unfettered access to state DMV data would not compromise legitimate law enforcement efforts. The letters clarified that preventing warrantless access “will not prevent federal law enforcement from obtaining information needed to investigate serious crimes,” but would “significantly increase accountability and reduce abuse” by requiring state employees to review data requests first. States could still choose to share data on a case-by-case basis after proper review, ensuring cooperation on serious criminal investigations while protecting residents from politicized immigration enforcement actions.

The path forward for concerned states:

• Hold briefings with state Nlets coordinators to understand current data-sharing practices
• Implement technical blocks preventing ICE and potentially other federal agencies from accessing DMV databases
• Establish protocols for reviewing federal data requests before granting access
• Publish transparency reports on law enforcement queries and data-sharing practices
• Consider expanding restrictions beyond ICE to other federal agencies involved in immigration enforcement

The lawmakers urged governors to “block access to other federal agencies that are now acting as Trump’s shock troops,” emphasizing that this “commonsense step will improve public safety and guard against Trump officials using your state’s data for unjustified, politicized actions.” As the Trump administration intensifies its immigration crackdown, the issue of state data-sharing through Nlets represents a critical intersection of technology policy, privacy rights, and immigration enforcement that Democratic governors must now confront directly