States Sharing Driver Data with ICE: Lawmaker Warnings

Data Sharing Concerns Raised by Democratic Lawmakers

A coalition of Democratic legislators has addressed correspondence to multiple state governors. These include those of Arizona, California, Colorado, and Wisconsin. The letters express concern that states may be unintentionally transmitting drivers’ data to federal immigration authorities.

Nlets System and Data Access

As initially reported by Reuters, the correspondence details how states are potentially granting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal entities “seamless, self-service access” to the personal information of their citizens.

This access is facilitated through the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications System (Nlets), a nonprofit organization overseen by state police agencies. Nlets functions as a conduit for sharing personal data—specifically, driver license information—between state, local, and federal law enforcement.

Call to Action and Concerns Regarding ICE

The lawmakers are urging these governors to cease this practice and restrict access for ICE, as well as “other federal agencies now functioning as Trump’s enforcement arm.”

Requests for comment sent to both ICE and Nlets by TechCrunch have not yet received a response.

Decades-Long Data Sharing Practice

For approximately two decades, the majority of states have made resident data—including drivers’ licenses and information from state Departments of Motor Vehicles (DMV)—available for search by roughly 18,000 law enforcement agencies across the U.S. and Canada.

According to the letter, this system permits direct access to resident data without requiring the knowledge or intervention of state personnel.

Potential Use of Facial Recognition Technology

The lawmakers suggest the possibility that ICE is utilizing drivers’ license photos within its facial recognition application, Mobile Fortify. This app is reportedly employed by agents to identify individuals in public spaces and currently contains a database of 200 million images.

Query Statistics and System Complexity

Nlets processed “over 290 million queries for DMV data” in the year leading up to October 1, 2025. Of these, more than 290,000 originated from ICE, and approximately 600,000 from Homeland Security Investigations.

The letter highlights a significant “information gap” as a key reason why few states have limited data sharing through Nlets. The technical intricacies of the Nlets system mean that many state officials lack a comprehensive understanding of how their state’s resident data is being shared with federal and out-of-state agencies.

Balancing Security and Accountability

The lawmakers argue that restricting agencies’ “unrestricted access” would not impede federal investigations into serious crimes. However, such action would “enhance accountability and curtail abuse” by requiring state employees to review data requests beforehand.

States Taking Action

The letter points to several states—including Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and Washington—that have recently implemented restrictions on the type of data ICE can access via Nlets.

Governors are reminded that they possess the authority to halt this practice at any time.