McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — A federal court has temporarily blocked the Trump administration from allowing the IRS to share taxpayer information with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The orders, issued Tuesday and Friday, in the case of Center for Taxpayer Rights et al v. International Revenue Service et al, prevent the IRS from sharing confidential taxpayer data with ICE without giving the court and plaintiffs 24 hours notice.
“This unlawful data sharing is one of the worst attacks on Americans’ personal privacy in decades and ignores laws Congress passed in the wake of the Watergate scandal to protect taxpayer information,” said Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, which is representing a coalition of organizations suing to stop the information release.
The organizations suing include: the Center for Taxpayer Rights; Main Street Alliance; Communications Workers of America; and the National Federation of Federal Employees.
“The IRS holds taxpayer information on virtually every American. It is among the most sensitive and confidential personal information in government systems,” according to the lawsuit filed in Washington, D.C.
“Actions to share taxpayers’ most confidential data with ICE are a betrayal of the promises our government has made to Americans, and they threaten the people’s trust in the tax system. We are grateful the court has issued this interim order to stop the threats to core privacy rights while the court considers a more formal order. Democracy Forward is honored to represent this broad coalition to hold the administration accountable and protect the privacy of the American people,” Perryman said.
The court ruled the IRS and the Department of Treasury have until Oct. 24 to file an administrative challenge.
The Trump administration wants taxpayer information shared with immigration authorities.
In April, the IRS reached an agreement with immigration authorities to share tax information about some immigrants without legal status, leading to lawsuits over the issue.
The agreement enables the IRS to share the current addresses of immigrants who have been ordered removed from the country within the past 90 days, part of the Trump administration’s broader efforts to step up deportations using all available legal tools.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
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