Federal judge blocks IRS from sharing taxpayer addresses with ICE

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani of Massachusetts granted a preliminary injunction blocking a memorandum of understanding authorizing IRS to transfer taxpayer addresses and return information to DHS and ICE for immigration enforcement. The ruling barred DHS and ICE from inspecting, using, or distributing any return information obtained through the MOU. A later ruling found the IRS had already illegally shared taxpayer data with ICE approximately 42,695 times in violation of 26 U.S.C. 6103, which strictly limits disclosure of tax return information.