ACLU of Nevada files suit, suspects DMV might be working with ICE

The ACLU of Nevada, suspicious that the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles might be collaborating with federal immigration authorities, filed a lawsuit Friday seeking public records from the DMV.

Athar Haseebullah, director of the ACLU of Nevada, said since February, the ACLU has filed public records requests in an attempt to determine whether the Nevada DMV was working with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

The requests were initially denied, he said at a Friday news conference, but after sending a demand letter, the DMV released “heavily redacted” and incomplete correspondence showing “suspicious communications” between the DMV and ICE. The two agencies “have seemingly been collaborative,” he said.

DMV spokesperson Hailey Foster declined to comment. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The suit comes in the wake of President Donald Trump’s administration labelling Nevada a sanctuary for undocumented immigrants and an agreement the Metropolitan Police Department made with ICE, allowing the federal agency to place holds on inmates for up to 48 hours after their scheduled release on local charges.

One record suggests there are Signal group chats between ICE and DMV employees, according to Haseebullah, who added he was not making that allegation “unequivocally.” He said the DMV has denied using Signal chats.

Signal is an app known for end-to-end encryption and messages that disappear.

“Nevada law requires the preservation of public records, and the public has a right to know how state agencies are operating, the same state agencies they fund, especially when it comes to data sharing and cooperation between Nevada agencies and immigration enforcement,” Haseebullah said.

The ACLU director said there are also concerns about whether the DMV has violated a state law restricting the release of personal information for immigration enforcement.

It’s unclear what kind of information has been shared, he said, but he noted that the DMV has a vast repository of data, including appointment times, vehicle information and addresses.

Haseebullah said the ACLU wants all correspondence between ICE and the DMV, the disclosure of any Signal chats between the agencies, an independent investigation and disclosure by Gov. Joe Lombardo of any cooperation between ICE and the DMV.

The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In addition to the records it requested, the ACLU is seeking an order declaring that the DMV “willfully violated the Nevada Public Records Act” and must pay civil penalties. The lawsuit was filed in the Carson City District Court.

“This is a betrayal of trust between our government and people,” Assemblymember Cecelia González said at the news conference. “‘We don’t have to answer to you’ is essentially what they’re telling us. Nevadans deserve a government that works for them in the open, that is transparent and that is not in the shadows.”

She added: “If you cannot operate in transparency, you’re not protecting the people. You are hiding from the people.”

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.