Additional Coverage:
- IRS shared the personal data of thousands of American taxpayers with DHS: Report (marketrealist.com)
Federal Judge Blocks IRS From Sharing Taxpayer Data with DHS Amid Privacy Concerns
Washington D.C. – A federal judge has issued an order preventing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from sharing taxpayer information with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), following revelations that the IRS had illegally provided personal data for thousands of Americans. This development comes as the American legal system grapples with potential breaches of federal law designed to protect taxpayer privacy.
The issue came to light after a report indicated that the DHS had requested details on 1.2 million individuals, with the IRS subsequently supplying information for 47,000. This number was poised to increase before the recent court intervention. The IRS confirmed the details of the report in a court filing on Wednesday, though the duration of this information sharing remains unclear.
Dottie Romo, the IRS’s chief risk and control officer, stated in her declaration that the agency notified the DHS on January 23 that it would be taking steps to “prevent the disclosure or dissemination, and to ensure appropriate disposal, of any data provided to ICE by IRS based on incomplete or insufficient address information.” However, concerns remain that the data may have already been widely disseminated.
This alleged data transfer represents a significant breach of federal law, which strictly mandates the protection of taxpayer information, even from other government agencies. For years, undocumented immigrants have paid taxes with the understanding that their personal data would not be used to target them by immigration agents. This recent development challenges that assurance.
The implications of this data leak could be substantial. Individuals affected by the breach may be entitled to financial compensation, and government officials involved could face severe civil and criminal penalties.
The situation draws parallels to a recent case where former IRS contractor Charles Littlejohn was sentenced to five years in prison in 2023 for leaking the tax return details of former President Donald Trump. This current breach, affecting 47,000 individuals, is now under intense scrutiny.
Despite the judicial block and ongoing investigations, some within the DHS maintain that their actions were legitimate. A spokesperson for the DHS stated, “Information sharing across agencies is essential to identify who is in our country, including violent criminals, determine what public safety and terror threats may exist so we can neutralize them, scrub these individuals from voter rolls, and identify what public benefits these aliens are using at taxpayer expense.”
This incident is not isolated. Reports also suggest that details of individuals receiving SNAP benefits have been provided to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), potentially leading to a denial of assistance based solely on immigration status.
Officials from the Treasury Department, Justice Department, and Department of Homeland Security are now scrambling to formulate a response as the legal ramifications of these alleged data breaches continue to unfold.
Read More About This Story:
- IRS shared the personal data of thousands of American taxpayers with DHS: Report (marketrealist.com)