WASHINGTON STATE — A new report has revealed that driver’s license data from Washington state continues to be accessed by federal immigration agencies, despite previous promises to cut off such access.
Researchers confirmed that federal agencies used the state system to query driver data in at least nine cases leading to arrests. Angelina Godoy, director of the University of Washington’s Center for Human Rights and the report’s author, discussed the implications.
“Regardless of how one slices and dices the law, it’s very clearly in contradiction to the stated policies articulated by multiple state agencies and articulated very clearly in state law. This is not what Washingtonians have been promised,” Godoy said.
This is not an isolated incident. Federal immigration agencies accessed a licensing database last summer, and in 2018, department employees routinely shared driver’s license information with federal authorities. The Department of Licensing and Washington State Patrol have stated they have taken steps to protect the data and deny breaking any laws.
Godoy noted that in November, state officials blocked one specific branch of ICE from using the system. However, the report showed that access for Customs and Border Protection was never interrupted.
Godoy highlighted that many of the people arrested through this data sharing had no criminal record and one individual was beaten by agents on the roadside.
“This is a real harm being done to our families here in Washington. There are a lot of people who are living in fear because of these practices and we all as Washingtonians deserve better,” Godoy said.
The report’s authors are urging state officials to completely block all immigration agencies from accessing this data, to be fully transparent about what is being shared and to create a process for accountability.
