Friday, Jul 24, 2026 The claims desk. Receipts included. POWERED BY LENZ
IsThis

POLITICS

The Claim

California is set to share data on immigrant drivers with other states or federal authorities at the national level.

The Short Version

California is indeed preparing to share driver's license data—including records of immigrant drivers who hold AB 60 licenses—through AAMVA's national State-to-State Verification system, confirming the "other states at the national level" component. However, direct sharing with federal immigration authorities is not a confirmed part of this plan; reporting frames federal access as a risk or concern, not an established arrangement. The AAMVA system includes promised safeguards against immigration enforcement queries, an important distinction the claim does not convey.

Caveats

  • The planned data sharing is with AAMVA's nonprofit-run multistate verification system, not a direct transfer to ICE or other federal immigration agencies; federal access is a feared risk, not a confirmed outcome.
  • Existing law enforcement query networks (e.g., Nlets) can separately enable federal agency access to DMV data, but this predates the new AAMVA sharing plan and should not be conflated with it.
  • AB 60 legal protections and promised safeguards are designed to limit immigration enforcement use of this data, but advocates dispute whether those protections will hold in practice.

The Receipts

  1. Nearly 20 Democratic states inadvertently share driver data with ICE, lawmakers say

    Nextgov

  2. California ready to share protected immigrant info with feds - CalMatters

    CalMatters

  3. California DMV to share data on immigrant drivers in 'betrayal' - CalMatters

    CalMatters

  4. AB 60 Driver's License Frequently Asked Questions - Immigrant Legal Resource Center

    Immigrant Legal Resource Center

  5. Driver's license data - LAist

    LAist

  6. 'A betrayal:' California to share data on immigrant drivers nationally

    LAist

  7. California DMV Data Sharing 2026: Best Privacy Rights - DNBC.TV

    DNBC.TV

  8. How California driver's license records are shared

    National Immigration Law Center (NILC)

  9. Undocumented immigrants can get license...ir data

    Center for Public Integrity

  10. California to share immigrant driver data: A betrayal of AB 60 privacy? - Daily Jang

    Daily Jang

+ 1 more sources — see the full list on Lenz

Filed Under

CaliforniaCalifornia Department of Motor VehiclesImmigration

More Fact Checks