Politics
UW Report Says Washington’s Driver-Data Rules Leave an Immigration Enforcement Loophole
A University of Washington report says federal immigration agencies can still obtain Washington drivers’ names and addresses through an interstate database, despite state privacy protections. Gov. Bob Ferguson’s office says it has blocked some access while preserving data use for public-safety investigations.
Washington’s protections against sharing driver information with federal immigration authorities have not closed every route to the data, according to a new report from the University of Washington Center for Human Rights. The report says U.S. Customs and Border Protection can still access vehicle owners’ names and addresses through an interstate information-sharing system, raising questions about whether current practices comply with state law.
The report, released Tuesday, examines how driver and vehicle records reach immigration agencies in Washington, Maryland, Minnesota and New York. It identifies four pathways: state databases, the interstate Nlets system, local law enforcement and private data brokers. Researchers say Washington has restricted some direct access but that gaps remain, including access through Nlets, which allows law enforcement agencies to exchange information.
Washington’s 2019 Keep Washington Working Act generally bars local governments from providing nonpublic personal information to federal immigration authorities for civil immigration enforcement, except where required by law. The UW researchers say current Department of Licensing practices likely violate those protections. That is the report’s assessment, not a court ruling.
Gov. Bob Ferguson’s administration has ended direct Driver and Plate Search access for two Immigration and Customs Enforcement units, Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations, and suspended a Customs and Border Protection account, according to the report. The state also began blocking ICE-linked Nlets usernames, first for ERO and later for HSI. By Sept. 18, 2026, five CBP-linked usernames had been blocked, the report says.
But the researchers describe Nlets access as a remaining vulnerability. In one case they cite, use of the system by CBP preceded an ICE arrest even though no CBP agents were present. The report says that could indicate an ICE user accessed the system through a CBP account or requested a lookup. UW Center for Human Rights Director Angelina Godoy compared the arrangement to sharing a password with someone else.
Ferguson’s office said it blocked 174,349 queries from November 2025 through October 2026. Separately, the report counted 3,696,147 searches for driver and vehicle information between January 2025 and May 2026. The periods differ, and the figures are not directly comparable; the state did not provide the number of queries that were granted, according to the report.
In a statement, Ferguson said his team had limited CBP access for immigration enforcement while retaining access needed for public-safety work, including human-trafficking investigations. He said the state would continue adapting as federal agencies change how they seek data.
The report contrasts Washington’s piecemeal restrictions with New York’s requirement that immigration agencies obtain a warrant to access state driver information. Its authors also question whether people whose data may have been improperly disclosed are being notified. The findings highlight the challenge facing Washington officials as they try to enforce privacy protections while federal agencies continue seeking information that can help identify and locate residents.