A newly-released comprehensive list of ICE contracts from 2010-2018 released by Sludge has revealed a 2018 contract between the National Law Enforcement Telecommunications Agency (NLETS) and ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations. The contract document (dated September 21 2018 PR# 192118EROLESA 0053 is below.
The 2018 sole source contract is for $3.8 million over a five year period from 2018 to 2023. It’s purpose is to create a standardized list of crime codes. The contract states: “The work done under this contract will help ICE (and other state and national law enforcement agencies) conduct criminal history searches faster and with greater accuracy. This requirement directly supports the overall missions of ICE and ERO to identify, remove and arrest aliens who present a danger to national security, or are a risk to public safety, as well as those who enter the United States illegally or otherwise undermine the integrity of our immigration laws and our border control efforts.”
NLETS, as per their website, “links together and supports every state, local and federal law enforcement, justice and public safety agency for the purposes of sharing and exchanging critical information. Through the Nlets network, law enforcement and criminal justice agencies can access a wide range of information, from standard driver license and vehicle queries to criminal history and Interpol information.”
California’s sub-network CLETS, which contains driver information and photos from the Department of Motor Vehicles, directly interfaces with NLETS. Several states, in addition to California with AB 60 (2013), including Colorado, Hawaii, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maryland, New Mexico, Nevada, Vermont, Washington, District of Columbia and New York have laws on the book that provide drivers licenses or equivalents to undocumented residents.
Awareness of the potential problem with soliciting undocumented state residents to register at DMV and then making that information available to ICE for immigration enforcement, has caused several legislative efforts in California including SB 244 (2018), SB 54 (2018) and a proposed bill in 2019 AB 1747. The Voice of San Diego has reported on several Cal Photos pictures from DMV found in the possession of ICE agents conducting civil immigration enforcement in the State and the Department of Motor Vehicles has confirmed that federal agencies have had blanket access to CLETS, and thus Caliornian’s DMV data. Despite prohibitions already on the books.
Advocates have also pressed the California DOJ to issue protocols regarding the use of California’s CLETS system. The protocols state: “[F]ederal, state or local law enforcement agencies shall not use any non-criminal history information contained within these databases for immigration enforcement purposes. “Immigration enforcement” includes any and all efforts to investigate, enforce, or assist in the investigation or enforcement of any federal civil immigration law, and also includes any and all efforts to investigate, enforce, or assist in the investigation or enforcement of any federal criminal immigration law that penalizes a person’s presence in, entry, or reentry to, or employment in, the United States.”
It goes on to state that ” The new policies for system misuse also clearly define accessing non-criminal data for immigration enforcement as “prohibited/unauthorized” use, which can result in either the suspension or removal of the agency or individual’s access to CLETS.”
Since the 2018 contract between ICE and NLETS clearly states that ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations uses and intends to continue to use the Law Enforcement Telecommunications System to identify, remove and arrest aliens who enter the United States illegally, California’s DOJ must sanction and remove ICE’s access to CLETS.
Similiar actions should be taken by every state which allows undocumented residents to register with their Department of Motor Vehicles and obtain drivers licenses.
NLETS-ICE-Agreement-2018