OAN Staff Jenna Lee
5:54 PM – Thursday, May 28, 2026
The Department of Justice (DOJ) is suing four states over their refusal to issue undercover license plates to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
On Thursday, the DOJ revealed that it filed lawsuits against Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon and Washington in an effort to dismantle local policies that the administration says are compromising the safety and effectiveness of federal immigration enforcement officers. The states are accused of refusing to rescind policies blocking ICE from obtaining confidential license plates used to carry out arrests as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown.
“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,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated forcefully, emphasizing the department’s unyielding commitment to agent safety. “Law enforcement officers risk their lives every day to keep Americans safe and must be able to carry out their duties effectively.”
The litigation—which mirrors the administration’s broader efforts to shield field personnel, such as defending the right of federal agents to wear tactical masks on assignment in American cities—follows an intense back-and-forth between the DOJ and defiant state officials. Earlier this month, the administration dispatched formal warning letters demanding that state authorities justify or rescind their plate restrictions.
State officials pushed back after the DOJ accused the states of trying “to obstruct the Federal Government’s immigration enforcement efforts, even though control over immigration and the nation’s borders is an exclusive federal power.”
“What ICE did in Maine and continues to do was terrorize our friends and neighbors. There are no secret police in a democracy and we will always stand up for our Mainers’ safety and freedom,” said Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows.
Washington Governor Bob Ferguson (D-Wash.) maintained that his state continues to provide assistance for federal criminal law enforcement, but stood by Washington’s denial of plates for civil enforcement.
“Judges across the country have found that the Department of Homeland Security’s tactics in conducting civil immigration enforcement routinely violate the Constitution. That is unacceptable. Our state will not facilitate that misconduct,” said Ferguson in an email to AP News.
A spokesperson for Oregon Governor Tina Kotek (D-Ore.) cited the Oregon Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV)’s temporary pause on the issuance of new undercover license plates to federal agencies, noting that the state is currently reviewing its policies and rules.
“State and local law enforcement are unaffected by this pause and the federal agencies that participate in the program are able to continue to use their existing unexpired plates,” said the spokesperson.
“Law enforcement officers risk their lives every day to keep Americans safe and must be able to carry out their duties effectively,” added Blanche, emphasizing the department’s intent to protect the operational safety of federal agents.
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