ProPublica investigative reporter William Turton explains how a proposed data sharing program between the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Homeland Security could give ICE enforcement officials expanded access to taxpayer data.
As part of the Trump administration's push to step up deportations, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement has been reaching for more novel sources of data to track down people who are in the country illegally, which includes one source that has historically been limited by strict privacy protections: taxpayer data.
The IRS is reportedly building an automated computer program that could potentially share millions of taxpayer records with ICE, according to a recent ProPublica investigation. It comes after a memorandum of understanding earlier this year between the Department of Homeland Security and the Internal Revenue Service which allows for the sharing of taxpayer data for law enforcement purposes while maintaining certain privacy protections.
When Marketplace asked for comment about the system uncovered by Pro Publica, a senior DHS official cited that memorandum of understanding and said descriptions of this system as "surveillance" were "absurd."
Marketplace’s Meghan McCarty Carino spoke with William Turton, one of the reporters on the ProPublica investigation, about how exactly this program would work.
“The IRS Is Building a Vast System to Share Millions of Taxpayers’ Data With ICE” - from ProPublica
“ICE Is Searching a Massive Insurance and Medical Bill Database to Find Deportation Targets'“ - from 404 Media
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