IRS Finalizing Agreement to Share Data with ICE

| 0

The Internal Revenue Service is finalizing an agreement to provide data to Immigration and Customs Enforcement so that tax data can be used to feed Donald Trump’s mass deportation program.

Many undocumented immigrants file tax returns with the IRS. Doing so includes details about their families, employers, earnings, where they live and whether they own their homes. IRS encourages tax compliance by issuing Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) to people who do not have Social Security numbers.

Federal law strictly protects this data. Under 26 U.S. Code § 6103, tax return data is confidential and cannot be shared with other federal agencies, including immigration enforcement. Unauthorized disclosure is a felony offense violates 26 U.S. Code § 7213, punishable by up to five years in prison, a $5,000 fine, and mandatory termination of employment for federal employees involved.

The nearly-final agreement between IRS and the Department of Homeland Security (under which ICE operates) would not only reverse long-standing IRS policy, it also appears to require violations of existing law, not to mention erosion of taxpayer trust.

Trump’s regime has already replaced the top IRS lawyer who resisted this agreement.

Click here for more details.