Local immigration attorney says this is a huge win for local immigrants without legal status.
WASHINGTON D.C., DC — A federal judge on Friday blocked a new data-sharing agreement that would have allowed the Internal Revenue Service to give Immigration and Customs Enforcement access to certain taxpayer information to help track down undocumented immigrants for deportation.
Immigrant-rights groups called the ruling a major win for privacy advocates. The Trump administration has not yet filed an appeal.
The blocked agreement would have let the IRS share home addresses of taxpayers suspected of being undocumented. That information — normally confidential under federal law — could have been used by ICE to conduct arrests.
“Individuals without permanent legal status in the United States contribute billions in tax dollars,” said Kelley Ortega, a local immigration attorney. “A lot of them comply with the law by filing their tax returns. This decision is one less way the immigrant community has to look over their shoulder.”
The ruling came the same week several immigrants filed a lawsuit in Washington, D.C., accusing ICE of conducting warrantless arrests based on officers’ perceptions of whether someone “looks” Latino or foreign-born.
ICE officials have publicly said agents must have reasonable suspicion that a person is in the country illegally, and that suspicion cannot be based on race alone.
The Trump administration has been pushing for broader deportation powers and has previously succeeded in overturning similar lower-court rulings. ICE and the IRS did not respond to WUSA9’s request for comment.
The administration can appeal the decision, but it is unclear when that could happen — or how long the judge’s block will remain in place.