Civil rights groups filed a federal lawsuit to stop the sharing of voter registration data with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Rensselaer County New York.

The lawsuit, first obtained by HuffPo, was filed on Friday by the New York Immigration Coalition, the New York chapter of Common Cause, Community Voices Heard and Citizen Action of New York.

The suit is filed on behalf of an eligible voter who said she is fearful of registering in the county after officials announced they would work with ICE and turn over voter registration data gathered at the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV).

ADVERTISEMENT

Local officials' decision to cooperate with ICE came after New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) passed a law earlier this year allowing undocumented immigrants to apply for driver's licenses in the state.

The lawsuit against the county argues that by working with ICE, officials are discouraging and intimidating eligible voters from registering over fears undocumented family members are put at risk.

The civil rights groups argue that the cooperation thus violates the Voting Rights Act as well as the First and 14th Amendments.

Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin, a Republican, said in a statement posted to Facebook last week that sharing DMV and voter registration information with officials was necessary.

“The sharing of this information with I.C.E. is a common sense initiative to combat the recent efforts by out of control liberals to circumvent federal law on immigration,” McLaughlin said.

The decision comes as cities and counties across the country have vowed not to cooperate with ICE as the Trump administration cracks down on immigration.