Keep ICE Out of Your DMV Data
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been quietly building a surveillance apparatus capable of tracking ordinary Americans — including protesters exercising their First Amendment rights. In Minneapolis, ICE agents scanned the faces of demonstrators and warned them they were being added to a government database. The message was unmistakable: we know who you are, and we're watching.
A key part of this surveillance infrastructure relies on license plate data. Companies like Flock Safety and Motorola Solutions operate networks of cameras nationwide that can reconstruct a vehicle's location history. Combined with unrestricted access to state DMV records through Nlets — a national law enforcement data-sharing network — ICE agents can identify individuals in the field using nothing more than a license plate, all without obtaining a judicial warrant. This means ICE can potentially determine who protesters are, where they live, their daily movements, and who they associate with.
Several states have already taken steps to close this loophole. Illinois, New York, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington have each moved to restrict ICE's access to their DMV data through Nlets. But the majority of states have yet to act, leaving millions of residents exposed to warrantless surveillance simply for showing up to a protest or a public gathering.
Your state legislators have the power to change this. Urge them to follow the lead of states that have already acted — and protect residents' privacy and constitutional rights from unchecked government surveillance.
View Call Scripts
Live Call Script
Hello, I am an assistant calling on behalf of a constituent, {{first_name}} {{last_name}} from {{city}}, {{state}} zip code {{zip_code}}. I'm calling today because I'm concerned about ICE's unrestricted access to our state's DMV data through a network called Nlets. Right now, ICE agents can use a license plate to pull up personal information about any driver — including their home address and vehicle history — without a judicial warrant. This has been used to track and intimidate people attending protests, which is a serious threat to our First Amendment rights. I'm urging Representative {{representative_name}} to take action to restrict ICE's access to our DMV data unless they have a judicial warrant tied to a criminal investigation. States like New York, Illinois, and Massachusetts have already done this, and I believe our state should join them in protecting residents' privacy. Thank you so much for your time, and I hope {{representative_name}} will stand up for constituents' civil liberties on this issue.
Voicemail Version
I am calling on behalf of {{first_name}} {{last_name}}, a constituent from {{city}}, {{state}} {{zip_code}}. I'm urging {{representative_name}} to restrict ICE's warrantless access to our state's DMV data through the Nlets network. This data is being used to surveil and intimidate people at protests, which threatens our First Amendment rights. States like New York and Illinois have already acted to protect their residents — I'm asking {{representative_name}} to do the same for ours. You may contact me at {{phone_number}} to discuss further.