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ICE used loophole to access DOL driver data for over 350 arrests in WA: Report.

Screenshot of the viral post we checked, claiming: ICE used loophole to access DOL driver data for over 350 arrests in WA: Report.
The post as it circulated. Faces of private individuals are blurred.

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What We Found

A University of Washington Center for Human Rights report (Oct. 13, 2026) documented 356 immigration arrest incidents tied to federal searches of Washington Department of Licensing data, Aug. 1, 2025 to Oct. 13, 2026.

Agents queried the data through Nlets, a national law enforcement data-sharing network.

The "loophole": after the state restricted some federal agency codes (ORIs), searches continued under other codes; researchers identified 38.

Washington's Keep Washington Working Act bars state agencies from sharing information for civil immigration enforcement. Researchers say the true number is likely higher, since they can only confirm cases reported to them.

Bottom line: the report is real and the numbers match.

Sources

  1. UW Center for Human Rights report (opens in new tab)
  2. KING 5 (opens in new tab)
  3. The Seattle Times (opens in new tab)
  4. FOX 13 Seattle (opens in new tab)

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