The Department of Justice has filed lawsuits against Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington after the states refused to provide confidential undercover license plates to federal immigration agents while continuing to issue them to state and local law enforcement agencies.

According to the DOJ, the policies unfairly target federal agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other Department of Homeland Security components involved in immigration enforcement operations.

The lawsuits argue the states are violating the Constitution by discriminating against federal law enforcement and interfering with lawful federal operations. The Trump administration says denying undercover plates places federal agents at greater risk by making them easier to identify, track, and potentially target while conducting operations.

“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 DOJ statement.

The administration also accused the states of obstructing immigration enforcement efforts as President Donald Trump continues expanding deportation and border security operations nationwide.

State leaders, however, defended their decisions. Officials in states like Massachusetts and Maine argued they do not want state resources assisting covert civil immigration enforcement operations tied to ICE. Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey criticized ICE tactics and defended the policy publicly after the lawsuits were announced.

The legal fight marks another escalation in the growing battle between the Trump administration and Democrat-led states resisting federal immigration enforcement policies. And apparently, in today’s political climate, even license plates have become part of the immigration war.

Supporters of the lawsuits argue the issue is straightforward: if states provide undercover protections to their own law enforcement agencies, they should not selectively deny those same protections to federal officers simply because they disagree politically with immigration enforcement.

The DOJ says the states’ actions threaten operational effectiveness, public safety, and officer security while undermining federal authority under the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause.

As the lawsuits move through federal court, the cases could become major tests of how far states can go in resisting federal immigration enforcement efforts under the Trump administration.