A Trump-appointed federal judge made a significant ruling affecting immigration enforcement by permitting collaboration between two major government agencies.

According to Breitbart, U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich denied a preliminary injunction request that would have blocked the Internal Revenue Service from sharing tax information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to locate individuals facing deportation orders.

The decision comes after the IRS and ICE finalized an agreement last month establishing protocols for information sharing. Under this memorandum of understanding, ICE agents can now request tax data from the IRS specifically for individuals who have already received deportation orders, marking a significant shift in inter-agency cooperation for immigration enforcement.

Legal challenge to interagency cooperation fails

Several immigrant advocacy organizations, including Centro de Trabajadores Unidos and Immigrant Solidarity DuPage, filed a lawsuit against the Treasury Department seeking to prevent the implementation of this information-sharing agreement.

The plaintiffs argued that the memorandum violated existing tax code provisions protecting confidential taxpayer information. However, Judge Friedrich dismissed these concerns in her Monday evening ruling.

U.S. District Judge Friedrich stated in her ruling:

At its core, this case presents a narrow legal issue: Does the Memorandum of Understanding between the IRS and DHS violate the Internal Revenue Code? It does not. The plain language of 26 U.S.C. § 6103(i)(2) mandates disclosure under the specific circumstances and preconditions outlined in the Memorandum. For this reason, the plaintiffs have failed to show they are likely to succeed on their claims.

Impact on immigration enforcement strategies

The collaboration between these federal agencies represents a novel approach to locating individuals subject to deportation orders. This partnership leverages existing government data systems to enhance immigration enforcement capabilities.

Immigration officials now have an additional tool to track individuals who have continued filing taxes despite having outstanding deportation orders. This mechanism could potentially affect thousands of cases nationwide.

The agreement specifically outlines strict parameters for information sharing, ensuring that only cases involving existing deportation orders qualify for this level of inter-agency cooperation.

Advocacy groups express enforcement concerns

Immigration advocacy organizations have raised concerns about the potential implications of this ruling. The coalition of NGOs that brought the legal challenge represented various immigrant communities across the country.

These organizations argued that the agreement could discourage undocumented immigrants from filing taxes, potentially disrupting state and federal tax revenue streams. They also expressed worry about the precedent this sets for privacy protections.

The case, formally titled Centro de Trabajadores Unidos v. Bessent, was heard in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia under case number 25-cv-0677.

Government agencies forge new enforcement path

The ruling enables unprecedented cooperation between the IRS and ICE, allowing tax information to be used as a tool for immigration enforcement. Judge Dabney Friedrich's decision specifically upheld the legality of the memorandum of understanding between these federal agencies, finding no violation of the Internal Revenue Code in their proposed information-sharing arrangement.

The agreement specifically targets individuals already under deportation orders, representing a focused approach to immigration enforcement that utilizes existing government data systems while maintaining specific limitations on information sharing between agencies.