WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Department of Justice filed separate lawsuits against Maine, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington state on Wednesday, alleging that the states’ refusal to issue undercover license plates to federal agents violates the U.S. Constitution. The Justice Department contends the policy impedes law enforcement operations and endangers federal agents by making them easily identifiable.

The department filed individual complaints in U.S. district courts in each of the four states, arguing that the states’ actions conflict with the Constitution’s Supremacy Clause, which establishes federal law as the supreme law of the land. According to the Justice Department, the states issue undercover license plates to their own law enforcement agencies but deny them to federal components such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), creating what it describes as discriminatory treatment. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said, “By denying undercover license plates to DHS components, including ICE, while issuing them to their own state agencies, these governors are pursuing discriminatory and obstructionist policies against federal law enforcement.” Blanche added, “These actions undermine federal immigration enforcement, allow dangerous criminals to escape justice, and terrorize American communities.”

The lawsuits follow earlier efforts by the Justice Department to seek justification from state officials for their policies on undercover license plates. The four states did not issue immediate public responses to the legal actions on Wednesday.

The department asserts that federal agents regularly investigate violent offenders, including cartel members, gang members, sex offenders, and human traffickers, and that identifying their vehicles increases the risk of harassment or physical harm. Blanche has directed the Justice Department’s Civil Division to review all state and local laws, policies, and practices that might interfere with what the administration defines as “lawful federal operations.”

The legal dispute reflects broader tensions between the federal government and certain states over immigration enforcement. The administration has previously criticized so-called sanctuary jurisdictions where local authorities limit cooperation with federal immigration efforts.