IRS Illegally Shared Tax Data with ICE 40,000+ Times

Abuse of Power
Written By Rikki Gunton

NEWS & RESEARCH

Despite long-standing assurances of privacy, the IRS shared confidential taxpayer data with immigration enforcement under an unlawful Trump-administration agreement. The courts eventually struck down the pact, but not before the IRS violated federal law 42,695 times by providing names and addresses to DHS.

SOURCES: Washington Post | Washington Post

ANALYSIS & OPINION

  • Privacy Violations: Critics and advocates, including the Center for Taxpayer Rights, warn this "unprecedented" data aggregation targets individuals maliciously and undermines the integrity of the tax system.

  • Broken Trust: The breach contradicts years of official promises that paying taxes would not trigger immigration enforcement.

SOURCES: Washington Post | PBS News | NPR

HOW TO FIX IT

Federal action:

  • Investigate: Support a Treasury Inspector General (TIGTA) investigation into the data leak.

  • “Demand Transparency: “Urge the passage of H. Res. 1097, a Resolution of Inquiry requiring Treasury and DHS to surrender all records regarding the illegal sharing agreement.

  • Legal recourse: Support ongoing federal injunctions and legal challenges to permanently block IRS-DHS data sharing.

Rikki Gunton https://www.rikkigunton.com
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