Groups Sue To Stop IRS From Disclosing Personal Tax Data in Service of Trump’s Mass Deportation Plan
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, Centro de Trabajadores Unidos and Immigrant Solidarity Dupage — represented by Public Citizen Litigation Group, Alan Morrison, and Raise the Floor Alliance — filed a lawsuit against Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and Acting IRS Commissioner Melanie Krauss to prevent the IRS from unlawfully disclosing tax return information to immigration enforcement authorities.
Like other workers, undocumented workers are required to pay income taxes. By law, the IRS is required to treat their tax records like every other taxpayer’s: as private and confidential, unless disclosure is specifically allowed by law. No law permits disclosure of tax records for immigration enforcement. Nonetheless, the Trump administration has indicated that it wants to access tax data to support its mass deportation agenda. This lawsuit seeks to ensure that the IRS must continue to protect taxpayer privacy, as the law requires.
“The DHS attempt to access confidential taxpayer information is not only unjust, it is unlawful,” said Ana Guajardo, executive director of Centro de Trabajadores Unidos. “Centro de Trabajadores Unidos will always fight to defend civil rights. We will not allow the federal government to violate the privacy of our communities to carry out a xenophobic agenda.”
“In standing up for the dignity, privacy, and basic rights of immigrants, we are defending the civil rights of all Americans,” said Cristobal Cavazos, executive director of Immigrant Solidarity DuPage. “This fight isn’t just about immigration—it’s about protecting everyone from government overreach, mass surveillance, and the erosion of our privacy rights.”
“Congress enacted taxpayer privacy laws in response to the Nixon’s administration’s abuse of the IRS tax records for political purposes,” said Nandan Joshi, attorney with Public Citizen and co-counsel for the plaintiffs. “Taxpayers deserve to know that those laws will be respected by every administration, no matter its political agenda.”
“Congress has carefully limited who can access tax information,” stated Alan Morrison, co-counsel for the plaintiffs. “If the IRS can disclose tax information to DHS without congressional authorization, then none of us is safe from wholesale invasions of our privacy.”
“By unlawfully and recklessly attacking privacy protections at an agency that impacts billions of people, the Trump Administration is setting a dangerous precedent that puts every taxpayer at risk,” said Kevin Herrera, legal director at Raise the Floor Alliance and co-counsel for the plaintiffs. “The IRS should never be commandeered as a tool for surveillance and immigration enforcement—doing so undermines trust in our tax system, discourages compliance, and ultimately harms our nation’s ability to fund essential services that communities throughout the United States depend on. The right to pay taxes without fear is fundamental and attempts to weaponize this system endangers us all.”
Additional Plaintiff Information
Centro de Trabajadores Unidos (CTU) is a not-for-profit corporation located in Chicago, Illinois and serving Chicago’s southeast side and south suburbs. As a member-led community organization and worker center, CTU strives to build immigrant and worker power by working to advance systemic change that promotes racial, gender and economic justice and stabilizes low-income immigrant communities and communities of color. Founded in 2008, CTU’s programming and initiatives reflect its vision to build neighborhood institutions that represent the interests of working people. CTU represents and serves hundreds of members and their surrounding communities through programs supporting workers’ rights, organizing and civic education in immigrant communities, assistance for members seeking to establish business cooperatives, and through parent-mentor programs intended to increase member engagement with local schools.
Immigrant Solidarity DuPage (ISD) is a not-for-profit corporation located in Wheaton, Illinois and serving DuPage County, Illinois and the western suburbs of Chicago. Founded in 2007, ISD’s mission is to educate, organize, and mobilize DuPage County around the rights, culture and collective struggles of the Latino community. ISD organizes with members in campaigns to advance the dignity of workers by conducting know-your-rights presentations and offering technical assistance to worker-led efforts to highlight employer abuses. ISD also operates a community center offering a variety of classes, cultural events, meeting space, and workshops on community rights.
The full complaint can be found here. For additional information on the case, or to request an interview with the litigation team or our plaintiffs, contact Emily Leach, eleach@citizen.org