Right now, the Virginia General Assembly is deciding on if driver information can be sold and used for civil immigration enforcement.

Last year, Virginia joined 15 other states in extending driving privileges to over 270,000+ members of the undocumented community. Driver’s Privilege Cards (DPCs) are now in the process of making our streets safer, bringing increasing economic benefits in Virginia, and improving the quality of life of immigrants.

While obtaining the right to drive was a major victory, thousands will interact with the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), where they will provide personal data. This information includes where a person lives, what car they drive, and a photo of what they look like.

This information could be at risk of being accessed for civil immigration purposes by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) without a warrant through law enforcement and third-party data companies. By providing information for civil immigration purposes, this also endangers undocumented family members who live with a recipient of a DPC.

Our information should not be used for immigration enforcement without a warrant. This would put into law protections against private corporations re-selling our personal data.

We need legislators to stand up against ICE and provide protections from corporations that are profiting off of deporting our communities by voting YES on HB 2163.