Washington to no longer require residents give birthplace to get driver’s license

Washington state will no longer require residents to provide their place of birth to obtain a driver’s license, after the state’s licensing department was found to have been providing personal information of residents to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials.
The Washington Department of Licensing issued an emergency rule Friday dropping the birthplace requirement, HuffPost reported.
{mosads}The new rule came after The Seattle Times reported earlier this month that the department has been providing residents’ personal information to ICE.
That information could be used to identify, arrest and deport immigrants in the state.
Gov. Jay Inslee (D) ordered the department to stop handing over the information to ICE unless they receive a court order to do so.
The department also announced at that time they would stop collecting “information that isn’t mandated and could be misused.”
Washington is among a handful of states that allows immigrants in the country illegally to obtain driver’s licenses.
Inslee also signed an executive order last year that blocks state and local officials from helping federal authorities deport immigrants who live in Washington.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.