UnidosUS Files Congressional Brief in IRS Privacy Case; Leads Coalition of 103 Organizations Urging U.S. Congress to Protect Taxpayer Data

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WASHINGTON — Last week, UnidosUS filed an amicus brief on behalf of 115 members of Congress in Center for Taxpayer Rights v. IRS, which is currently before the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals. The brief — led by Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chair Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-NY13), Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Representatives Linda Sanchez (D-CA38) and Jimmy Gomez (D-CA34) — urges the court to uphold longstanding taxpayer privacy protections and block the unlawful sharing of confidential taxpayer data with immigration enforcement agencies.

The filing, co-authored by UnidosUS and counsel Andrew Weiner and Robert McLeod at Kostelanetz LLP, comes as the court record shows the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) disclosed confidential address information for almost 50,000 taxpayers to U.S. Immigration & Custom Enforcement (ICE), violating federal law and prompting a preliminary injunction by a federal judge. The filing also coincided with a coalition letter from more than 100 national, state and local organizations urging members of Congress to stand behind taxpayer privacy laws.

“The IRS made a promise to every person who pays taxes in this country: your information is confidential and will be used only for tax administration. This administration has broken that promise in tens of thousands of instances. As Congress makes clear, this is not what the law allows and it is a profound violation of public trust. UnidosUS will continue to support the rights of taxpayers in this case moving forward,” said Janet Murguía, UnidosUS President and CEO.

“This case boils down to whether taxpayers can trust the government to follow the law and whether taxpayers can contribute, as the law requires, to the economic foundation of our country. And millions of taxpayers deserve fair treatment from the government in the height of tax season,” said Laura MacCleery, UnidosUS senior director of policy and advocacy.

“Taxpayer privacy is the foundation of a functioning tax system. Congress wrote laws that make the tax system a lockbox against abuses, and no administration has the legal authority to simply ignore them. We are making clear to the D.C. Circuit that Congress means what it wrote,” said Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

The coalition letter, coordinated by UnidosUS, warns that the IRS-ICE data sharing is part of a broader pattern of federal agencies repurposing confidential government databases for immigration enforcement, including Medicaid, SNAP and DMV records, without authorization. The economic stakes from tax violations alone are significant. The Yale Budget Lab has estimated that fear-driven disengagement from the tax system could cost more than $300 billion in lost federal revenue between 2026 and 2035.

“The IRS’s decision to share taxpayer data with DHS is in direct contradiction with the law and does absolutely nothing to keep Americans safe. Instead, it has struck fear in hardworking immigrant communities and led to a lack of trust in government to protect taxpayer privacy. I urge the court to swiftly hold this administration accountable for its violations of the law,” said Senator Catherine Cortez Masto.

“The IRS’ agreement to turn over massive amounts of sensitive taxpayer data to ICE is dangerous, un-American and illegal,” said Senator Alex Padilla. “This reckless, mistake-prone system has almost certainly sent DHS agents after hardworking immigrants and citizens alike who are following the law, paying taxes and contributing to our economy. We will keep fighting to hold the Trump Administration accountable for this gross violation of the law and harmful erosion of public trust.”

“This case is pretty cut and dry: the IRS broke the law. By handing taxpayer data over to DHS, the Trump administration not only violated clear privacy protections and put taxpayer’s personal data at risk but also betrayed decades of trust and undermined confidence in our entire tax system,” said Rep. Linda Sanchez, Ranking Member of the Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade.

The coalition letter urged members of Congress to join the amicus brief and conduct oversight hearings with leadership from the U.S. Department of Treasury, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the IRS on the scope and legality of data sharing, and to advance data privacy legislation that prevents misuse of personal information.

 

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