Court Upholds IRS Data Sharing with Homeland Security

In a significant ruling, a federal court in Washington, DC, dismissed an attempt by an immigrant rights group to prevent the IRS from delivering taxpayer data to Homeland Security. This data-sharing facilitates the identification of undocumented immigrants in the US.

The US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit chose not to enact a preliminary injunction sought by Centro de Trabajadores Unidos and other nonprofits contesting the data-sharing agreement, initiated last year by Treasury and Homeland Security leaders. Judge Harry T Edwards argued that plaintiffs were unlikely to prevail because the shared data doesn't fall under IRS privacy laws.

While immigrant advocates voiced privacy concerns, Attorney General Pam Bondi applauded the decision, calling it a victory for enhanced security. The Trump administration supports the deal as part of its border security agenda, despite IRS errors that mistakenly shared numerous taxpayers' data with immigration authorities.