DOJ sues four states over ICE “undercover” plates

DOJ sues – The Justice Department has filed lawsuits against Maine, Washington, Oregon and Massachusetts, accusing them of obstructing federal immigration enforcement by denying confidential license plates for ICE. The department calls the policy discriminatory and uncon

The first letters went out on May 12. By May 27, the Justice Department was in court.

In a new round of legal action tied to Trump-era immigration enforcement. federal prosecutors filed lawsuits against four states—Maine. Washington. Oregon and Massachusetts—alleging they unlawfully deny confidential. or “undercover. ” license plates to federal immigration agents. The department says the denial blocks tools meant to keep federal investigators’ identities and operations out of reach of the public and the criminals they pursue.

The disputes center on a specific request: confidential plates for federal immigration enforcement components, including ICE. The DOJ alleges that the states’ approach—issuing such plates to some agencies while refusing them for immigration enforcement—amounts to discrimination and obstruction.

In one of the department’s filings. federal agents are described as using “certain measures to keep their activities and identities unknown to the general public and the criminals they investigate.” Those measures include undercover license plates that. according to the complaints. “cannot be easily tied back to their agencies through records requests or other means.”.

The DOJ also points to state law. Complaints filed by the department say undercover plates are “explicitly authorized” under each state’s laws. but that “some states have tried to obstruct the Federal Government’s immigration enforcement efforts” after President Donald Trump retook the White House in January 2025.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche framed the lawsuits as a defense of federal enforcement officers. “This Department of Justice will exercise any and all lawful authorities to support the brave men and women of law enforcement. ” Blanche said. “By denying undercover license plates to DHS components. including ICE. while issuing them to their own state agencies. these governors are pursuing discriminatory and obstructionist policies against federal law enforcement.”.

The fight over plates has grown louder as immigration enforcement efforts have intensified, and as the identities of federal officers have been a flashpoint.

In Minnesota earlier this year, two people—Alex Pretti and Renee Good—were killed during ramped up immigration enforcement activities. The episode sharpened scrutiny around tactics involving unmarked vehicles and masked agents, issues that the DOJ says are designed to keep federal operations secure.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, said her administration supports what she called the “legitimate criminal investigative” work of agencies from the local to the federal level. But she argued ICE is not conducting investigations in the way the state has described as appropriate.

“[That]’s not what we are seeing from ICE and its unconstitutional tactics,” Healey said in a statement shared with the publication.

She said Massachusetts will not use its resources to “help ICE operate in secret. and without accountability. while refusing to provide basic information about who they are arresting and why.” In Healey’s view. the state’s approach is meant to protect communities from enforcement practices it says undermine public trust. “That makes our communities less safe, undermines public trust, and will not be allowed in this state,” she said.

Healey also drew a line between different types of federal agencies seeking confidentiality. In Massachusetts. she said. numerous federal agencies—among them the FBI. DEA and ATF—can apply for confidential license plates with a “qualifying need.” But she said agencies that deal in civil enforcement activities. which she described as covering “the vast majority of immigration enforcement actions. ” are not eligible.

Other governors responded with their own framing.

Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson. a Democrat. told the Seattle Times in a statement that “Judges across the country have found that the Department of Homeland Security’s tactics in conducting civil immigration enforcement routinely violate the Constitution.” He added. “That is unacceptable. Our state will not facilitate that misconduct.”.

In Oregon, a spokesperson for Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek, Kevin Glenn, said state and local law enforcement are unaffected by this pause, and that the federal agencies participating in the program can continue using existing unexpired plates. The position was shared with Oregon Public Broadcasting.

In Maine, local reporting said Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, a Democrat, accused ICE of “trying to become some sort of secret police.” She said, “They should not have undercover license plates so they can seize people off the streets and spirit them away without consequences.”

The legal challenges all turn on a central contradiction the DOJ and the states describe differently: federal enforcement argues confidentiality is necessary for safety and effective investigations. while the states argue that refusing the plates for immigration enforcement prevents civil actions from proceeding “in secret. and without accountability.”.

For now, the lawsuits ensure the dispute over who gets undercover plates—and under what conditions—will be argued in court, with the May 12 letters and the May 27 filings marking a clear escalation from policy disagreement to direct legal confrontation.

DOJ ICE undercover license plates confidential plates Maine Washington Oregon Massachusetts immigration enforcement Todd Blanche Maura Healey Bob Ferguson Tina Kotek Shenna Bellows