A judge issued an order this Thursday prohibiting the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from accessing confidential tax data to locate immigrants. The decision, issued by a court in the District of Massachusetts, preliminarily blocks the exchange and use of information from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), such as addresses and other taxpayer data, for immigration control purposes, while the litigation filed by several community and civil rights organizations proceeds. The magistrate noted that U.S. legislation imposes strict limits on the disclosure of tax information and that the exceptions provided do not allow its widespread use for immigration investigations, emphasizing that the case raises a key conflict between law enforcement and taxpayer confidentiality guarantees. The plaintiff organizations argued that using tax data for immigration purposes could deter millions of people from fulfilling their tax obligations for fear of retaliation, which they claim would undermine public trust in the tax system and affect federal revenue. The court order is provisional and does not resolve the merits of the case, but it will remain in effect while the judicial process continues. The federal government defended the legality of information-sharing agreements between agencies, although the court found that the plaintiffs demonstrated a sufficient risk of irreparable harm to justify the temporary measure.
