Media contacts:
Lauren Nguyen, media@asianlawcaucus.org
Angela Divaris, ADivaris@gbls.org, 617-603-1629
Luz Arévalo, larevalo@gbls.org, 617-603-1569
Immigrant Advocacy Groups Demand Records of Trump Administration Database on Immigrant Workers
At least 90,000 people’s information has already been shared by federal agencies with immigration enforcement through secret agreements
BOSTON - Asian Law Caucus and Greater Boston Legal Services filed litigation in the U.S. District Court of Massachusetts on behalf of Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern Massachusetts (CEDC) alleging the wrongful withholding of public records by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Social Security Administration (SSA).
Earlier this year, CEDC submitted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the IRS and SSA seeking information regarding the agreements made between the agencies and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). In the past several months, federal agencies have flouted strict legal requirements on how to handle taxpayers’ personal information and agreed to hand over private identifying data pertaining to immigrant community members’ place of employment, residence, and health care to immigration enforcement. The Memoranda of Understanding made by ICE with the IRS and SSA are a matter of urgent concern for immigrant taxpayers, many of whom have complied with U.S. tax law for years.
This litigation comes amid alarming reports of the Trump administration compiling a citizenship database that would undermine privacy for all Americans. Already the SSA has altered the Social Security data of immigrants and DHS has added the DNA of migrant children into an FBI criminal database, repurposing government services into increased surveillance against the Trump administration’s political targets.
“Turning every federal agency into an arm of immigration enforcement is a massive overreach by the Trump administration,” said Josh Rosenthal, workers’ rights program director at Asian Law Caucus. “These agreements betray immigrant communities and the workers who submitted their personal information in good faith to provide for their families. It’s in the public interest to know how our information is being used by our government.”
“ICE and the IRS have a history of confusing the names of our immigrant taxpayer clients and their children, and we know more mistakes will be made, said Luz Arévalo and Angela Divaris, senior attorneys at Greater Boston Legal Services. “We are extremely concerned that these mistakes expose members of our community to potential deportation without due process.”
“The net result of immigration enforcement having access to IRS records is that law-abiding people, many of whom have complicated immigration status situations, are less likely to pay their federal income taxes,” said Corinn Williams, executive director at Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern Massachusetts. "We serve our community in many ways, including helping hard-working people to file their taxes. Now with these agreements, many people in our community have lost trust in the IRS and must make a calculation between filing their taxes and the safety of their family.”
Asian Law Caucus (ALC): ALC was founded in 1972 as the nation's first legal and civil rights organization focusing on the needs of low-income, immigrant and underserved Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Recognizing that social, economic, political, and racial inequalities continue to exist in the United States, ALC is committed to the pursuit of equality and justice for all sectors of our society.
Greater Boston Legal Services (GBLS): GBLS helps members of our community retain affordable housing, secure immigration relief, gain protection from domestic violence, access subsistence income for food and medical care, and recover earned wages, among other needs. Annually, GBLS provides legal assistance to more than 12,000 families and individuals who live at or below 125% of the federal poverty standard. GBLS also provides legal counsel to dozens of community-based groups and organizations and conducts strategic impact advocacy to bring about positive systematic change throughout the region and state. For more information, please visit www.gbls.org.
Community Economic Development Center of Southeastern Massachusetts (CEDC): CEDC seeks to create a more just local economy by building bridges to resources, networks, and cooperative action for new immigrants and working families to find their way to economic opportunity.For over 23 years, the CEDC has focused on understanding residents’ and businesses’ needs through active engagement within the community. It has been a priority of the CEDC to achieve resident, stakeholder, and board community engagement, build planning momentum, and mobilize a broader community participation base to solve problems, build strategies, and plan for the future community.