BOSTON — The U.S. Department of Justice has filed a lawsuit against Massachusetts, accusing the state of enforcing policies that deny federal law enforcement agents confidential license plates.
The DOJ announced Wednesday that Massachusetts is among four states — along with Maine, Washington, and Oregon — facing legal challenges over what federal officials call “unconstitutional” restrictions that impact undercover operations.
According to the complaint, the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles’ confidential registration program policy prevents certain federal agents, including those working with the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, from obtaining confidential or undercover license plates. Federal officials argue those protections are critical for agents conducting sensitive investigations.
In Massachusetts, state agencies can issue confidential plates for their own personnel, but the DOJ alleges that denying federal officers the same access amounts to discriminatory treatment that interferes with federal operations.
Federal officials say the policy could pose safety risks, warning that without confidential plates, agents may be easier to identify, potentially exposing them to harassment or allowing suspects to evade law enforcement.
“This Department of Justice will exercise any and all lawful authorities to support the brave men and women of law enforcement,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.
The lawsuit is part of a broader effort by the DOJ to challenge state and local policies it says hinder federal law enforcement, including immigration enforcement activities.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey’s administration is pushing back against a federal challenge, arguing the state’s rules are lawful and do not discriminate against federal agents.
In a formal response to the U.S. Department of Justice, the governor’s legal office said the Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles’ confidential plate program is “lawful, proper, and fully within the sovereign power” of the state, rejecting federal demands to change the policy.
“I strongly reject the suggestion in your letter that members of ICE engaging in civil immigration enforcement activity should be permitted to do so in secret, and without regard to the rules of the sovereign state in which they operate,” the state’s legal counsel wrote.
The Healey administration maintains that the confidential plate program “advances public safety” and that it falls squarely within Massachusetts’ legal powers.
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