Federal Judge Orders Delaware to Hand Over Employee Data to ICE

Ruling allows immigration authorities to access confidential state records as part of Trump administration's deportation agenda

Apr. 15, 2026 at 5:52am

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A cinematic painting depicting a lone ICE agent standing in the shadows of a dimly lit government office, the scene bathed in warm, diagonal sunlight, conveying the somber mood of federal immigration enforcement encroaching on state authority.The federal government's push to access state employment data reflects the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement agenda, which has strained relations with local authorities.Wilmington Today

A federal judge in Wilmington has ordered the Delaware Department of Labor to hand over confidential state employer data to Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigators. The judge rejected the state's arguments that complying with the ICE subpoena would undermine the integrity of the unemployment insurance program and amount to an improper political disagreement with federal immigration policy.

Why it matters

This case is part of the Trump administration's expanding deportation agenda, which has seen federal authorities seek new ways to leverage state datasets in immigration enforcement. The ruling could discourage businesses from reporting employee information and weaken Delaware's unemployment insurance program.

The details

The subpoena seeks wage reports and employee rosters containing confidential employee information for 15 businesses and was sought by ICE investigators as part of President Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda. Attorneys representing the state's Department of Labor argued that local and federal regulators give state officials the authority to refuse federal investigators' requests, but the judge rejected those arguments.

  • On April 13, 2026, U.S. District Judge Colm Connolly ordered Delaware labor officials to comply with the federal immigration subpoena.
  • The subpoena was the last in a series that went unanswered by state labor officials during the first quarter of 2025.

The players

Colm Connolly

U.S. District Judge who ordered Delaware to hand over the confidential employee data to ICE.

Delaware Department of Labor

State agency that was ordered to comply with the ICE subpoena for confidential employee data.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Federal immigration agency that issued the subpoena for the confidential employee data as part of the Trump administration's deportation agenda.

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What they’re saying

“I am neither willing nor able to adopt DDOL's cynical view of the State's employers.”

— Colm Connolly, U.S. District Judge

“This Court is not the proper 'forum in which to air [DDOL's] generalized grievances about the conduct of government. It would be wholly inappropriate for me to consider this line of argument, and I decline to do so.”

— Colm Connolly, U.S. District Judge

What’s next

The state has not indicated whether it plans to appeal the judge's ruling, which could further delay ICE's access to the confidential employee data.

The takeaway

This case highlights the ongoing tensions between state and federal authorities over immigration enforcement, with the Trump administration increasingly seeking to leverage state datasets to advance its deportation agenda despite concerns from local officials about the impact on businesses and communities.