RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — A bill protecting the information of Virginia drivers has advanced in the general assembly after passing through the house of delegates.
House Bill 2163, introduced by Delegate Kathy Tran (D), limits the release of information from the Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to government entities and law-enforcement agencies. This information includes where a person lives, what kind of car they drive, and a photo of them.
Immigration advocates have been pushing for this bill because it would protect undocumented people who hold a Virginia driver’s privilege card from having their information shared with agencies like the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
“Adding the privacy provisions puts up a roadblock against the racist systemic policies that allow ICE to cruelly target immigrants, “ Diane Alejandro with ACLU People Power Fairfax said in a statement. “This is a step forward to making sure we rebuild trust and welcome immigrant families in Virginia.”
Under this bill, the DMV is not allowed to share information unless a driver gives consent or the requesting agency presents a lawful judicial order, judicial subpoena, or judicial warrant.
“Winning driving privileges for immigrant drivers is a major victory that might no longer be clouded by the knowledge that anti-immigrant federal agencies like ICE could freely search for anyone in the DMV database without a warrant,” CASA’s Virginia Director Luis Aguilar said in a release.
The DMV data privacy bill now heads to Gov. Northam’s desk for a signature.