On August 13, 2026, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul, California Attorney General Rob Bonta, District of Columbia Attorney General Brian Schwalb, and Virginia Attorney General Jay Jones co-led a coalition 22 attorneys general and the governor of Pennsylvania in filing a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) challenging an August 11, 2026, subpoena issued by DHS demanding access to state-owned Commercial Driver’s License Information System (CDLIS) records containing sensitive personal information of approximately 17 million commercial drivers. The information includes drivers’ dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and driver’s license numbers.   

The coalition seeks to prevent DHS from obtaining the subpoenaed records on several grounds. It argues that DHS  has no legal authority to seize the states’ confidential records and is attempting to transform a secure state-to-state licensing system into a federal database that Congress never authorized. The lawsuit alleges that the demand violates federal privacy protections and the Administrative Procedure Act. The coalition further asserts that DHS  has failed to provide sufficient safeguards governing how the data could be used, protected, or shared.  

On August 14, 2026, the court entered an administrative stay temporarily preventing DHS and immigration enforcement authorities from accessing or receiving the records sought through the administrative subpoena while the court considers the states’ challenge. 

The Trump administration is attempting to seize confidential state records without any lawful justification. New Yorkers provide their personal information to the state with the expectation that it will be protected, not handed over to anyone who demands it.Attorney General Letitia James