SALEM, Ore. (Jun. 1, 2026) — Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek on Monday directed the state’s Driver and Motor Vehicles Service to stop issuing undercover license plates to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, citing what she described as repeated violations of state and federal law by the agency and concerns about public safety and community trust.
Kotek said ICE agents have engaged in actions that have created fear in communities and undermined relationships between law enforcement agencies and the public.
“ICE agents have repeatedly engaged in illegitimate activities, causing unwarranted chaos, sowing fear, and damaging the relationship between law enforcement and our communities,” Kotek said in a statement. “Oregon will follow state law and ensure we do not aid these unlawful immigration enforcement efforts.”
The governor’s directive follows a review of Oregon’s undercover license plate program, which allows eligible law enforcement agencies to obtain vehicle registrations that do not identify them as government vehicles. Under Oregon law, the DMV can issue undercover plates to state, local and federal agencies.
According to state officials, approximately 45 federal agencies participate in the program, with about 1,260 undercover plates currently in circulation. Oregon DMV paused the issuance of new undercover plates to all federal agencies on April 15 pending a review of compliance with state law.
Following that review, the DMV will continue withholding new undercover plates from ICE while resuming issuance to federal agencies that do not primarily conduct immigration enforcement and are not violating Oregon law. State officials said access to undercover plates for Oregon state and local law enforcement agencies will remain unchanged.
The decision comes amid ongoing debate over immigration enforcement practices. State officials said masked and unidentified ICE agents operating in unmarked vehicles have contributed to fear and confusion in communities across Oregon and the United States.
Oregon’s sanctuary law, first adopted in 1987 and later strengthened by lawmakers and voters, prohibits state and local law enforcement agencies and public bodies from directly or indirectly participating in immigration enforcement efforts without a judicial warrant. Supporters of the law argue it helps ensure that residents can report crimes and cooperate with police without fear of immigration-related consequences.
Oregon DMV Administrator Amy Joyce said the state must avoid using public resources in ways that could conflict with Oregon law.
“We cannot expend state resources to assist in federal immigration enforcement,” Joyce said. “The prospect of litigation in this area is real. We need to follow state law and protect taxpayers from legal risk.”
Joyce added that Oregon will continue cooperating with federal law enforcement agencies whose primary missions are unrelated to immigration enforcement, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration and United States Marshals Service.
Supporters of ICE and stricter immigration enforcement have argued that undercover vehicles and non-identifying license plates are critical tools for officer safety and effective law enforcement operations. They contend that agents investigating immigration violations, human trafficking, drug smuggling and transnational criminal organizations can become targets if their vehicles are easily identifiable.
Critics of Oregon’s sanctuary policies also argue that restricting cooperation with federal immigration authorities can hinder efforts to locate and remove people who are in the country illegally and have committed crimes. They maintain that immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility and that states should not create obstacles for federal agencies carrying out lawful duties.
Immigrant rights advocates, meanwhile, have praised Oregon’s sanctuary laws, arguing that local cooperation with immigration enforcement can discourage victims and witnesses from reporting crimes, making communities less safe overall.
The dispute reflects a broader national debate over the role of state and local governments in federal immigration enforcement, particularly as several states have moved in recent years to either expand or limit cooperation with ICE.
As of Monday, ICE had not publicly responded to Kotek’s directive.
Federal government vehicles generally use license plates identifying them as part of the federal fleet. State officials said requiring ICE vehicles to use standard federal plates would not expose individual agents to personal identification because vehicle registrations are not linked to individual officers.
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