Maryland driver data still reaches ICE despite privacy laws

Federal immigration agents continue to access Maryland driver records to identify and arrest residents, according to a report released by the University of Washington’s Center for Human Rights. The findings indicate that state laws designed to block this data flow are failing to stop the practice, even after the passage of stricter privacy measures.

Maryland enacted the Driver Privacy Act in 2021, which prohibited the Motor Vehicle Administration from directly sharing license and registration data with immigration officials. A newer data privacy law took effect in July 2026, adding further restrictions. Despite these measures, researchers found that agents are still obtaining information through the International Justice and Public Safety Network.

This network is an independent nonprofit that allows law enforcement agencies from all 50 states to share information. ICE is a member of the group. Agents use a unique agency identifier code to submit queries to state systems. These queries can request specific details, such as the name associated with a license plate. The report identifies this channel as the primary route for data leakage.

Angelina Godoy, the report’s author, stated that the state is struggling to implement its new laws effectively. She noted that while Maryland has some of the strongest privacy laws in the country, the enforcement mechanisms are not airtight. Godoy said federal agents are still getting driver information in ways the laws specifically seek to prohibit.

The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services oversees the state’s participation in the national database. Spokesperson Yianni Varonis wrote that the department is fully committed to the Data Privacy Act. The department now screens data requests to determine if they are for immigration enforcement. If so, the requester must upload proof of a valid judicial warrant before the state responds.

The Motor Vehicle Administration handles the final review of these warrants. Spokesperson Robyne McCullough said that requests may be fulfilled or denied after this official review. McCullough wrote that the MVA has blocked over 250,000 attempts to access its records by federal agents conducting immigration enforcement. The state is also requiring third-party data buyers to sign privacy agreements that ban the use of the data for immigration enforcement.

However, Godoy pointed out that immigration agents have access to tens of thousands of different usernames within the system. She argued that shutting these down one by one is a whack-a-mole approach that is not entirely effective. Godoy’s team also noted that data brokers like LexisNexis are private organizations, making it difficult for researchers to verify how ICE might be purchasing MVA data through them.

The report cites specific cases where MVA data played a role in arrests. One case involves Tiago Alexandre Sousa-Martins, whom ICE accused of overstaying his visa. Agents shot him during a Christmas Eve arrest that began with a license plate scan in a parking lot. Another case involves Alfredo Herrera, a 56-year-old resident of New Carrollton, who was arrested in Ellicott City on October 31 after agents scanned his license plate, according to his family.

Godoy’s team reviewed federal court records and public records requests to compile these examples. They found queries made on vehicles involved in ICE traffic stops during the first two weeks of July, shortly after the new law took effect. In an August arrest in Laurel, an ICE agent testified to querying law enforcement databases to identify a registered owner.

Ninfa Amador-Hernandez, policy manager for We Are CASA, said these security lapses have led to family separations. The organization sued the Trump administration in September, alleging a pattern of indiscriminate and illegal arrests. Amador-Hernandez wrote that the group is working with state officials to safeguard the promise of protecting residents.