OLYMPIA, Wash. - The Washington state Department of Licensing says it will no longer release personal information to federal immigration authorities without a court order unless required by law. The agency announced the change Monday following a report in The Seattle Times last week that showed the department was handing over personal information to federal authorities 20 to 30 times a month. Washington is one of the few states that allow people without proof of legal U.S. residency to get driver's licenses. Officials also said the agency would end its practice of collecting "information that isn't mandated and could be misused," such as information on license applications about where a person was born.
When DOL gave information to ICE, it redacts a field on the driver's license application showing a Social Security number, but left visible fields showing where someone was born and the ID used (passports or other documents) -- information that could be used as evidence of a foreign-born person who possibly could be in the country illegally.
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