Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) released the following statement in response to reports the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is planning to provide sensitive taxpayer information to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to locate suspected undocumented immigrants.
This statement comes after their letter to IRS Acting Commissioner Melanie Krause, IRS Acting Chief Counsel Andrew De Mello, and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem demanding answers on reports that DHS and the “Department of Government Efficiency” have illegally requested sensitive taxpayer information from the IRS. So far, the Trump Administration has not responded to their demand for answers about their plans to require the IRS to turn over home addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of over 700,000 people.
“This weekend, it became clear that the Trump Administration is finalizing plans totarget and penalize people who are following federal law and contributing to our economy. This agreement between the IRS and DHS – if finalized – will have long-lasting and devastating implications on our economy, taxpayer privacy, immigrant communities, and the rule of law.
“It’s past time for the Trump Administration to make their plans public. The IRS and DHS must disclose the extent of this agreement and brief Congress immediately.”
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