A tussle over driver's license data that could affect NY, NJ commutes

Key Points:

• New York and New Jersey attorneys general, along with 21 other states and D.C., have sued the Trump administration to prevent access to personal data of 17 million commercial drivers, citing privacy and immigration enforcement concerns.
• The federal government threatened to withhold highway funding unless states hand over commercial driver license (CDL) records, which include sensitive information like names, birthdates, and Social Security numbers, by August 17.
• Plaintiffs allege the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration plans to share the data with the Department of Homeland Security for immigration enforcement, potentially targeting legally present noncitizen drivers and mixed-status families.
• New York paused its “non-domiciled” CDL program amid the dispute, risking sidelining hundreds of thousands of immigrant drivers, including those operating public transit and school buses, exacerbating driver shortages.
• The lawsuit seeks to block the federal government and the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators from releasing CDL data, arguing the seizure of confidential state records lacks lawful justification and threatens individual privacy.