Cook County commissioners are looking to take a digital leap to help protect residents’ data from the grasp of immigration enforcement agents.
The Cook County Legislation and Intergovernmental Relations Committee passed an amendment Wednesday that would prohibit private companies with county contracts from selling and sharing information with third parties such as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Cook County Board of Commissioners is expected to vote on the proposed amendment Thursday.
The measure, sponsored by county Commissioners Alma Anaya, Jessica Vasquez and Tara Stamps, would take effect in 60 days if it passes and would close “loopholes” that previously gave ICE agents access to court, jail, health and Department of Motor Vehicles data through county contractors. It excludes cases involving a criminal warrant or court order.
“Technology continues to evolve rapidly,” Anaya, who represents the 7th District, said at a news conference Wednesday. “We live in a state of constant surveillance and that technology, unfortunately, is not regulated. As county commissioners, it is our duty to protect our residents from becoming the ever-evolving targets.”
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If passed on Thursday, county vendors would not be able to share personal data — including things like license plate numbers — with third parties and would block data from being sold for commercial purposes. The amendment language carries no civil or criminal penalties for violations.
“Data is always being shared with us, and it is our duty to protect it,” Anaya said.
Tania Unzueta, policy director for the national Latino advocacy group Mijente, says this is a step toward a wider grassroots “No Tech for ICE” campaign.
Mijente, Just Futures Law and other immigrant advocacy organizations first brought the issue to Cook County commissioners more than four years ago at a July 2022 hearing, according to Unzueta.
“We looked at each department to see how they were protecting data,” Anaya said. “We learned at the time that there was boilerplate language in our contracts that essentially said information cannot be sold or shared. But what we learned shortly after is that some vendors were negotiating the risk solution clause to circumvent this.”
As one of the most populated counties in the nation, Anaya said Cook County’s stand will inspire other jurisdictions to protect county data from “getting into the wrong hands.”
“As a national organization, we really do see this amendment as an example that other counties and municipalities need to follow,” Unzueta said. “We will be actively working to bring the tactic and the conversation and the policy to other places so they can also look at their contracts.”