A federal judge declined to issue an injunction on Monday to stop the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from collaborating with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which permits U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) to access taxpayer information concerning undocumented immigrants facing deportation.
This ruling by U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich occurred in response to a lawsuit led by the immigration advocacy group Centro de Trabajadores Unidos against Treasury Secretary Scott Bescent. Friedrich pointed out in her order that the central question of the case revolves around whether the agreement between the IRS and DHS contravenes the Internal Revenue Act.
The DOJ has informed federal judges that it might invoke state secrets laws concerning notable deportation cases.
The memorandum previously established between DHS and the IRS is intended to protect private taxpayer data while allowing law enforcement to investigate potential criminal activities. According to Treasury officials, this memorandum was put into effect in April.
Though the Treasury has pledged to safeguard the privacy of honest taxpayers, it acknowledged a criminal exception, which was noted in an earlier statement to Fox News Digital.
This agreement enables ICE to provide the names and addresses of undocumented immigrants to the IRS, with immigration tax records supplying current address information to immigration authorities.
In the ruling, the court recognized that while the request and receipt of information for civil enforcement may represent a significant harm, no evidence has been presented that such harm is imminent. The plaintiffs themselves have conceded that the memorandum is strictly for information sharing in criminal investigations.
This memorandum aims to set up a framework for “requesting the address of the individual under criminal investigation,” as stated in the order. The agreement surfaces as President Donald Trump ramps up the deportation initiatives he pledged during his campaign.
