Trust in U.S. tax confidentiality is at the center of a controversy. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) confirmed that it has shared the home addresses of more than 40,000 foreign taxpayers with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, better known as ICE.
In addition, court documents reveal that the immigration authorities’ goal is to add information on at least one million more people to their databases.
IRS hands over immigrant data to ICE
The data provided comes from mandatory tax forms such as the 1040, W-2 and 1099, which include basic personal information of tax filers.
According to the Asian Law Caucus (ALC), this information, which should legally be confidential, is now being transferred to ICE’s database and used to strengthen its tracking and deportation programs.
The revelation came about thanks to a lawsuit filed by the Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern Massachusetts (CEDC), in collaboration with ALC and Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS).
In the legal process, the White House agreed to share details of the agreement that allowed this data sharing between the IRS and ICE.
Implications for the immigrant community
Immigrant advocacy organizations denounce that this policy change generates an environment of fear and uncertainty among those who, even without legal status, pay taxes with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).
Many undocumented immigrants use this number to comply with their tax obligations, trusting that the IRS will not share their information with Immigration.
CEDC Director Corinn Williams lamented that it took a lawsuit to obtain transparency.
“This policy change has left our members exposed, frightened and uncertain about the future of their families,” he said in a statement.
For his part, Josh Rosenthal, director of the labor rights program at ALC, pointed out that the legal battle is not over yet and warned that they will closely monitor the use of this data to ensure that privacy laws are not violated.
GBLS senior attorney Luz Arevalo warned that the consequences are not limited to undocumented immigrants.
“By eroding the integrity of the tax system, you end up hurting everyone. If people lose confidence that their returns are secure, more taxpayers will voluntarily stop filing taxes, which will affect the entire tax system,” he explained.
IRS hands over immigrant data to ICE
According to the allegations, the Trump Administration has further ordered 250 IRS agents to directly support ICE operations under its mass deportation program.
This development intensifies concern among civil rights advocates, who see interagency collaboration as a dangerous precedent in the relationship between taxation and immigration enforcement.
For millions of Hispanics living in the United States – with or without immigration documents – this situation implies a real risk.
The fact is that voluntary compliance with their tax obligations could become a factor that makes it easier for ICE to locate them.
Experts recommend that taxpayers consult with legal and tax advisors before filing their returns, especially if they have an ITIN.
In addition, they remind that immigrants who already have open immigration proceedings should inform their attorneys about this new IRS practice to assess additional risks.
Voluntary compliance with their tax obligations could become a factor that facilitates their location by ICE
QuéOnnda.com
