Below is an official statement from the office of Florida Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz regarding the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and reports of targeting immigrants.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) was joined by Rep. Linda Sánchez (CA-38), a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Rep. Dan Goldman (NY-10), a member of the House Judiciary and Homeland Security Committees, to demand that Acting IRS Commissioner Melanie Krause and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem cease their illegal efforts to abuse taxpayers’ private data to target immigrant families who are not suspected of crimes.
The firing of Treasury officials who resisted DOGE attempts to access sensitive payment systems – and subsequent DHS requests for taxpayers addresses and other information – suggest a dangerous and alarming politicization of the IRS and a blatant violation of legal protections. Wasserman Schultz, Goldman, and Sanchez were joined by 62 Democratic Members of Congress in denouncing these efforts to exploit taxpayer information to facilitate the Trump Administration’s indiscriminate anti-immigrant crackdown, which has swept up U.S. citizens, veterans, and children.
“The IRS has long maintained that tax compliance must be encouraged through confidentiality protections. Any deviation from this guiding principle risks eroding public trust and discouraging taxpayers from fulfilling their obligations,” the Members said in the letter, “If immigrants fear that filing taxes could expose them to deportation, many will choose not to file, reducing Federal revenues that contribute to funding public schools, health care, and disaster relief for Americans while shifting resources to the informal economy.”
n addition to Wasserman Schultz, Sánchez, and Goldman, signers include Reps. Becca Balint, Nanette Barragán, Joyce Beatty, Donald Beyer, Suzanne Bonamici, Julia Brownley, Salud Carbajal, André Carson, Greg Casar, Joaquin Castro, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Judy Chu, Yvette Clarke, Steve Cohen, Luis Correa, Jim Costa, Joe Courtney, Jasmine Crockett, Danny Davis, Diana DeGette, Maxine Dexter, Veronica Escobar, Adriano Espaillat, John Garamendi, Jesús “Chuy” García, Sylvia Garcia, Jimmy Gomez, Jared Huffman, Sara Jacobs, Pramila Jayapal, Henry Johnson, Ro Khanna, John Larson, Sam Liccardo, Betty McCollum, James McGovern, LaMonica McIver, Gwen Moore, Seth Moulton, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Jimmy Panetta, Chellie Pingree, Delia Ramirez, Janice Schakowsky, Bradley Schneider, Adam Smith, Darren Soto, Melanie Stansbury, Greg Stanton, Eric Swalwell, Shri Thanedar, Bennie Thompson, Dina Titus, Rashida Tlaib, Jill Tokuda, Norma Torres, Juan Vargas, and Frederica Wilson.
Read the signed letter here, or below:
Dear Ms. Krause and Secretary Noem,
We write to express our grave concern regarding reports that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is considering disclosing taxpayer information, including Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) and address information, to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for immigration enforcement purposes. Such actions would undermine taxpayer confidentiality, erode trust in our nation’s tax system, and have a chilling effect on compliance, particularly among immigrant communities who contribute billions in tax revenue annually.
Section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code establishes strong protections for taxpayer information, ensuring that personal data remains confidential except under strictly defined circumstances. While Section 6103(i) provides narrow exceptions for sharing tax information with federal law enforcement agencies investigating certain non-tax crimes, it does not grant authority for using tax records to facilitate civil immigration enforcement. For decades, the IRS has resisted calls to weaponize taxpayer data for immigration crackdowns, recognizing that doing so would jeopardize the integrity of our voluntary tax compliance system.
The IRS itself has previously stated that “[a]ny sharing of confidential taxpayer information, directly or indirectly, with immigration authorities would have a chilling effect on efforts to bring ITIN holders, and potential ITIN holders, into the U.S. tax system.”[1] The National Taxpayer Advocate has similarly warned that any disruption to the balance between tax law and immigration enforcement “will undermine voluntary compliance.”[2]
The IRS has long maintained that tax compliance must be encouraged through confidentiality protections.[3] Any deviation from this guiding principle risks eroding public trust and discouraging taxpayers from fulfilling their obligations. If immigrants fear that filing taxes could expose them to deportation, many will choose not to file, reducing Federal revenues that contribute to funding public schools, health care, and disaster relief for Americans while shifting resources to the informal economy. This would increase deficits and shift a higher proportion of the tax burden onto American citizens.
The Office of Chief Counsel at the IRS has also affirmed the limits on disclosing taxpayer information. A 2010 IRS memorandum clarified that while the agency may disclose tax information for certain criminal violations, Section 6103 generally prohibits employees of the IRS’s Taxpayer Advocate Service from sharing taxpayer return information, including ITIN-related data, with immigration enforcement agencies.[4] This legal framework reinforces that any attempt to repurpose tax data for immigration enforcement would be a clear violation of the Internal Revenue Code.
Recent reports indicate that DHS has requested taxpayer data from the IRS to facilitate large-scale immigration enforcement operations.[5] This request follows concerning reports regarding the removal of Treasury officials who resisted attempts by DOGE to access sensitive payment systems, including the acting IRS Chief Counsel.[6],[7] These actions suggest an alarming politicization of taxpayer information and a potential violation of legal protections afforded to all individuals, regardless of immigration status.
A complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colombia last week accurately underscores the legal and ethical ramifications of these actions.[8] The plaintiffs rightfully argue that any IRS cooperation with DHS in using taxpayer data for civil immigration enforcement would contravene federal law, including Section 6103, which strictly limits the disclosure of tax information.
Legal precedent supports the principle of strict tax confidentiality. In Church of Scientology of Cal. v. IRS, 484 U.S. 9 (1987), the Supreme Court reaffirmed that Section 6103 strictly limits the disclosure of tax return information.[9]
We urge the IRS and DHS to categorically reject any effort to misuse tax data for immigration enforcement. We request a formal clarification of your agencies’ policies on this matter, including any communications regarding DHS requests for taxpayer information. Furthermore, we call upon the IRS to reaffirm its longstanding commitment to taxpayer privacy and to take all necessary steps to prevent any erosion of these critical protections.
We look forward to your prompt response and stand ready to work with your agencies to uphold the integrity of our tax system and the privacy rights of all taxpayers.
