A United States federal judge issued an order prohibiting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from accessing confidential tax data to locate immigrants.
The decision, issued by a Massachusetts District Court, preliminarily blocks the sharing and use of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) information, such as addresses and other taxpayer data, for immigration control purposes, while litigation filed by several community and civil rights organizations progresses.
The judge noted that US law imposes strict limits on the disclosure of tax information and that the exceptions provided do not allow its widespread use for immigration investigations, highlighting that the case raises a key conflict between the application of the law and taxpayer confidentiality guarantees.
The plaintiff organizations argued that the use of tax data for immigration purposes could deter millions of people from complying with their tax obligations for fear of retaliation, which they argue would undermine public confidence in the tax system and affect federal revenue.
The court order is provisional and does not resolve the merits of the case, but will remain in force while the judicial process continues.
The federal government defended the legality of the interagency information-sharing agreements, although the court found that the plaintiffs demonstrated a sufficient risk of irreparable harm to justify the injunction.
