Resolution to Shut Down Nlets Access for Immigration Enforcement in Washington State

September 16, 2026

WHEREAS, Nlets is a 50+-year-old, federally controlled data-sharing system that connects law enforcement databases across all 50 states, allowing U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to access private Washington State Department of Licensing (DOL) information, including driver’s license records, vehicle registrations, and personal identifying data; and

WHEREAS, Washington state officials have taken some limited action to restrict Nlets access for certain federal immigration agents, yet the number of database queries by ICE and CBP, and the resulting arrests continue to grow at an alarming rate; and

WHEREAS, as of September 2, 2026, researchers at the University of Washington Center for Human Rights have confirmed 213 cases in which federal immigration agents carried out an arrest on Washington roads after querying Washington’s DOL database, more than doubling the number documented just one month prior; and

WHEREAS, every one of those 213 arrests represents a Washington resident, worker, or family member who had their personal data weaponized by a hostile federal administration, undermining trust in state government and deterring migrants from accessing driver’s licenses, registering vehicles, or interacting with state services; and

WHEREAS, during his tenure as Attorney General, Governor Bob Ferguson successfully challenged Trump’s 2017 travel ban, one of the earliest anti-immigrant policies of the first Trump presidential term, and in 2025, as Governor, Ferguson signed an executive order that “reaffirms Washington’s commitment to protecting immigrant communities and their rights, including protecting their data”; and

WHEREAS, despite this executive order, ICE and CBP continue to access Washington DOL data through the Nlets system, rendering the order’s promise of data protection hollow and exposing thousands of residents to detention and deportation; and

WHEREAS, in a resolution passed in February 2026 opposing surveillance cameras in Seattle, the MLK Labor Council stated that “the collection and storage of surveillance data creates the potential for access by external entities like the Federal Government, and we have seen several other data breaches in Washington state, despite the Keep Washington Working Act, which was designed to prevent a hostile federal government from gaining access”; and

WHEREAS, the Washington State Department of Licensing can lawfully and technically sever its Nlets connection, or restrict access by specific Originating Agency Identifiers (ORIs), without violating any federal law, and several other states have taken similar action to protect resident data; and

WHEREAS, the labor movement has consistently stood for the rights of all workers regardless of immigration status, and the protection of migrant communities is a union issue, as attacks on migrant workers weaken collective bargaining power, increase employer exploitation, and erode solidarity across the workforce;

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that MLK Labor encourage the Washington State Labor Council to call on Governor Bob Ferguson to take immediate and decisive action to fully shut down all Nlets-based access to Washington State DOL data by federal immigration enforcement agencies, including but not limited to ICE (both HSI and ERO) and CBP — by blocking the corresponding Originating Agency Identifiers (ORIs) and terminating Washington’s participation in Nlets queries for immigration enforcement purposes; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that MLK Labor encourages the Washington State Labor Council to urge that Governor Ferguson direct the Washington State Department of Licensing and the Washington State Patrol to immediately cease all data-sharing with Nlets for any queries originating from immigration enforcement agencies, and to implement a permanent technical barrier preventing such access in the future; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that MLK Labor commits, per the “Resolution on Strengthening Solidarity with Immigrant Workers” passed in October 2025, to build a strategy for immigrant rights work in coordination with the AFL-CIO constituency groups, including identifying organizations to partner with, campaigns to work on, and organizations to receive funding; 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that MLK Labor commits to work alongside relevant grassroots organizations, including Defend Migrants Alliance, APALA, WAISN, La Resistencia, Tanggol Migrante, to educate its member unions and the broader labor movement about the link between data privacy, migrant worker protections, and labor rights, and will mobilize to support migrants, especially union members facing federal enforcement actions.