The IRS announced a memorandum allowing the sharing of tax information of undocumented immigrants under criminal investigation. Immigrant advocacy groups criticized the decision, expressing concerns about the breach of trust regarding the confidentiality of tax records. Critics, including Josh Rosenthal from the Asian Law Caucus, emphasized that being undocumented is not a crime but a civil violation, questioning the justification for this data-sharing agreement. The memorandum is said to apply only in limited circumstances, specifically tied to federal crimes like overstaying a removal order.
"This represents a broken promise to immigrants across the country who have relied on the representation of the IRS that their information will not be shared with immigration enforcement," said Josh Rosenthal, who leads the workers' rights program at the Asian Law Caucus in San Francisco.
"It is not a crime in itself to be undocumented," Rosenthal said. "That's a civil violation, and that is not a valid reason for the IRS to share information."
"The federal crime the Trump administration identified is 'staying in the country past a final order of removal.'"
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