Democrats demand unredacted DHS-IRS agreement targeting taxpayer data
WASHINGTON – Representatives Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.), and 43 of their House colleagues today demanded the Trump administration provide an unredacted copy of the memorandum of understanding allowing taxpayer data to be used to target immigrants.
The members were made aware last week of the finalized agreement between the Department of Homeland Security and the Treasury Department through court filings that included a redacted version of the MOU.
“The MOU contained redactions in sections detailing information on the purpose of disclosure, the required criminal statutes triggering disclosure, the duties and responsibilities of the Internal Revenue Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the required information being disclosed,” the members wrote. “Given these redactions, we do not have a complete picture or understanding of the entire agreement or taxpayer data that will be shared. We are concerned that this MOU will result in grave consequences for taxpayers whose information is shared.”
The IRS has generally prohibited sharing taxpayer information with other agencies. Former Acting Commissioner Melanie Krause and other IRS attorneys, now departed from the agency, have stated that this deal likely violates privacy laws under Section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code, which is also the subject of ongoing litigation.
Immigrants contribute billions of dollars in taxes every year when filing with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers, including toward Medicare and Social Security even though they are precluded from accessing these benefits.
In addition to Sánchez and Gomez, the letter was signed by Representatives Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), Suzan K. DelBene (D-Wash.), Terri A. Sewell (D-Ala.), Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.), Judy Chu (D-Calif.), Gwen S. Moore (D-Wisc.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Steven Horsford (D-Nev.), Delia C. Ramirez (D-Ill.), Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), Yvette D. Clarke (D-N.Y.), Joaquin Castro (D-Texas), Jesús G. "Chuy" García (D-Ill.), Juan Vargas (D-Calif.), Gilbert Ray Cisneros Jr. (D-Calif.), Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), Sylvia R. Garcia (D-Texas), Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), Sean Casten (D-Ill.), Maxine Dexter (D-Ore.), Chellie Pingree (D-Maine), Cleo Fields (D-La.), Yassamin Ansari (D-Calif.), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-Calif.), Veronica Escobar (D-Texas, Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), Robert J. Menendez (D-N.J.), Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Luz M. Rivas (D-Calif.), Jim Costa (D-Calif.), Darren Soto (D-Fla.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), Emanuel Cleaver II (D-Mo.), Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), Jared Huffman (D-Calif.).
Full text of the letter is available here and follows:
April 15, 2025
The Honorable Scott Bessent
Secretary of the Treasury
U.S. Department of the Treasury
1500 Pennsylvania Ave. NW
Washington, D.C. 20220
The Honorable Kristi Noem
Secretary of Homeland Security
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
3801 Nebraska Avenue NW
Washington, D.C. 20528
Dear Secretary Bessent and Secretary Noem,
We are troubled to hear that the Department of the Treasury has agreed to share taxpayer data with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to help the DHS target undocumented immigrants. We learned about this agreement in a recent court filing that included a redacted version of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) “For the Exchange of Information for Nontax Criminal Enforcement.” We write today to request an unredacted copy of the Memorandum of Understanding.
The MOU contained redactions in sections detailing information on the purpose of disclosure, the required criminal statutes triggering disclosure, the duties and responsibilities of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the required information being disclosed. Given these redactions, we do not have a complete picture or understanding of the entire agreement or taxpayer data that will be shared. We are concerned that this MOU will result in grave consequences for taxpayers whose information is shared.
A 2021 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that ICE arrested 674, detained 121 and deported 70 potential U.S. citizens from 2017 - 2021. The current administration has already made numerous wrongful arrests. In March, a Maryland man lawfully in the United States was deported and imprisoned in an El Salvadoran prison due to an “administrative error.”
Based on the serious consequences resulting from the IRS sharing taxpayer data with ICE, we request a copy of the unredacted MOU by April 16, 2025
Sincerely,
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