The Evergreen State Cancels ICE Account
Washington admits it broke law by letting federal agents use driver data to hunt immigrants.
A KING 5 investigation prompted the state of Washington on Tuesday to admit they unwittingly allowed Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to hunt down and deport undocumented residents with the help of state data.
The Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) and the Office of the Governor told KING 5 they've cut off ICE’s ability to search a state database filled with driver and vehicle licensing information.
The move comes after the KING 5 Investigators provided the state with proof that ICE had misused personal DOL data for immigration enforcement. In Washington that's against the law. The Keep Washington Working Act prohibits this kind of collaboration between state departments and ICE. The 2019 law states the federal government may not use state data solely for the purpose of arresting and deporting undocumented residents.
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Pattern of illegal database use uncovered
The KING 5 investigation revealed multiple cases where it appears ICE agents ran a vehicle’s license plate to track down undocumented residents. The most compelling evidence came from federal court documents showing how agents used DOL data to locate and arrest individuals.
In one case on Camano Island in June, security video captured ICE officers detaining Victor, an undocumented father of a 3-year-old with another child on the way. KING 5 is not using Victor's last name due to his undocumented status. Federal court documents revealed that before his arrest, ICE identified him by reading his license plate and knowing the vehicle was registered to him — information that’s obtained through the Department of Licensing database.
"It was really odd that they were able to find him at one of the job sites that he was at," said Jessica, Victor's pregnant partner. Jessica, who is a U.S. citizen, described the enforcement action as resembling "duck season" with officers "enjoying what they're doing, coming up to people like that, like the chase."
The most obvious violation involved Wilmer, an undocumented man with no criminal record detained in Kirkland. Court records reveal ICE agents "conducted surveillance" outside his home, spotted a car "parked near the residence," then ran "a query of Washington State Department of Licensing records" that "revealed" the vehicle was registered to Wilmer.
Dramatic surge in database searches
In a July 11 investigation, KING 5 found that DOL had quietly maintained data-sharing agreements with ICE and other Homeland Security agencies despite past controversies. Since President Donald Trump's election in November, federal use of the state database skyrocketed 188%. ICE searches for driver and vehicle records jumped from approximately 540 in November 2024 to over 1,600 in May — a threefold increase.
This pattern mirrors historical data showing searches increased during the first Trump presidency, dropped during Joe Biden's presidency, and began climbing back up in 2024.
State officials initially denied wrongdoing
On Monday, DOL officials told KING 5 the reporters were wrong — that ICE was not using the state's database for immigration enforcement."We confirmed," wrote Nathan Olson, DOL communications director, “no search was made.”
After KING 5’s initial investigation, DOL Deputy Director Alejandro Sanchez even held a meeting with a couple dozen community advocates from organizations like the ACLU, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and University of Washington, where he insisted KING 5 had no evidence of database misuse.
"He did not believe that the DOL information was being used for immigration enforcement purposes, which would have been an explicit violation of the executive order," said Angelina Godoy, director of UW's Center for Human Rights, who attended that meeting.
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State reverses position, takes action
On Tuesday night, DOL changed its position. Representatives from DOL and the Office of the Governor confirmed that further investigation found ICE did run a license plate to verify vehicle ownership, leading directly to an undocumented man's arrest.
"The terms of the agreement are very clear, as are the penalties for not following them. Even one violation is enough. It's that important," said Olson.
DOL said it immediately terminated ICE's account. Both DOL and Gov. Bob Ferguson's office thanked KING 5 for bringing the violation to their attention and notified legislators and community advocates of this breach of trust.
"Any entity using DOL data about our residents in a way we have expressly stated not to is counter to our mission and needs to be dealt with immediately," Olson said.
"I'm very concerned because this is explicitly what the Department of Licensing said it wasn't doing,” Godoy said. “Now we see that it is."
Advocates demand greater transparency
While community advocates welcomed the state's action, they say much more needs to be done to ensure compliance across all federal agencies with database access.
"I'm glad the state has taken action in response to the evidence KING 5 brought forward, but I think we need a lot more transparency from the DOL," said Godoy. "Of the multiple federal agencies and subagencies currently engaged in immigration enforcement who had access to the [Driver and Plate Search] DAPS database as shown in KING 5's initial reporting of this story, which ones still have access, and what is being done to ensure they are only using the database in compliance with the permissible use agreement? Clearly relying on agencies to 'audit themselves' is not enough."
The ACLU of Washington also issued a statement calling for stronger protections. M. Lorena González, ACLU of Washington legislative director, said the database termination was necessary but insufficient.
"In 2018, Washington made a commitment to its communities to prioritize their safety and well-being by prohibiting voluntary sharing of resources with the federal government for immigration enforcement purposes,” González said. “The Keep Washington Working Act sets the floor, not the ceiling, of those protections."
She noted, "HSI's use of this data has put individuals, families and communities at risk. Even with this account termination, the federal government still has access to Washingtonians' data through other means without a warrant or subpoena."
González called on Ferguson and the state to "take vigorous action to proactively protect its people, its resources, and its priorities before they are harmed by federal overreach."
State Rep. Sharlett Mena, D-Tacoma, expressed similar concerns about the state's reactive approach to database oversight.
"I was both relieved to hear about this change and disappointed it came after an enforcement action," Mena said. "When I met with the DOL (following KING 5’s first article), they acknowledged that they grant database access to various arms of DHS that do not carry out immigration enforcement. I asked what prevented those departments from sharing that data with immigration enforcement and how we can ensure they aren't doing so."
Mena said she followed up asking why the agency was willingly providing access when not required by federal or state law, especially knowing other federal agencies had previously misused data for immigration enforcement. She was told a policy change would need to come from the governor's office.
"The misuse of data was foreseeable as it had already happened with other agencies and was discussed with the governor's office,” she said. “This should have been prevented."
Historical context and legal framework
This isn't the first time DOL has come under scrutiny for sharing data with federal immigration enforcement. In 2018, protests erupted across western Washington after it was revealed that the department was sharing personal data with federal agencies for deportation purposes. Following public outcry and legislative pressure, DOL cancelled many of those agreements.
However, KING 5’s July investigation revealed that sometime later in 2018, some of these accounts were quietly reinstated, setting the stage for the current violations.
The Keep Washington Working Act, passed in 2019, was designed to prevent this type of collaboration. State Sen. Rebecca Saldaña, D-Seattle, a sponsor of the legislation, said DOL's actions go against the intent of the law.
"If it's criminal activity, then they should be able to do it through the warrant process," she said. When asked if the current practice violated the law, Saldaña responded, "It's against the spirit of the law."
The newly passed state budget includes a requirement for the Washington State Attorney General's Office to review all data sharing by government agencies to identify where similar loopholes may exist.
Community impact and broken trust
For families like Victor, the undocumented father, and his partner Jessica, the consequences are devastating. Victor was convicted of a gross misdemeanor last year and served 10 days in jail but had been working to turn his life around. Now Jessica has to explain to their 3-year-old why his father isn't home and prepare to give birth to their second son alone.
"The despair, the panic, the separation of families, the violence, the chaos. I feel like it's all going to affect the future of this next coming generation," Jessica said.
When asked if the revelations made her trust Washington state agencies, she replied, "Not at all."
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Too bad the ICE account was cancelled. The safety of Americans must always dominate the thinking of elected officials. Unfortunately in states like Washington the priority seems to be illegal aliens.