Documents obtained by The Guardian reveal that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has gained access to extensive license plate tracking data in sanctuary cities, potentially undermining local immigration protection policies [1].

In Westchester County, New York, a network of 480 license plate readers managed by local police scanned 16.2 million vehicles in one week during January 2023, according to freedom of information law requests. This represents an increase from 14 million weekly scans across 346 cameras in March 2022 [1].

The surveillance system, operated by technology company Rekor, shares data with multiple federal agencies. As of February 2022, access was granted to ICE, Customs and Border Protection (CBP), Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Department of Justice, Drug Enforcement Administration, Secret Service, and FBI [1].

Specific user access records showed:- 5 users with @ice.dhs.gov email addresses- 2 Secret Service users- 44 FBI users- 40 DOJ users- Approximately 12 DEA users [1]

This data sharing appears to conflict with Westchester's 2018 sanctuary city laws, which limit local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Mayor Vivian C McKenzie of Peekskill stated these laws "prohibit members of the police department from engaging in law enforcement activities solely for the purpose of enforcing federal immigration law, unless required to do so by a judicial warrant" [1].

The surveillance network extends beyond Westchester, with Rekor advertising access to "150 million plate reads" monthly across 30 states. Local authorities are actively pursuing expanded data-sharing agreements, including discussions between Westchester police and the NYPD about connecting their systems [1].