Yesterday we sent you a major update on Public Citizen’s lawsuit to stop the Trump regime from violating the privacy of potentially millions of American taxpayers.

The big takeaway was the disclosure — in court papers filed in response to our suit — of a backroom deal between two of Donald Trump’s cabinet officials for confidential taxpayer info to be handed over to immigration enforcement agents, in clear violation of the law.

Well, there is even more news on the case.

We have just filed a reply to the government about our motion for a preliminary injunction to prevent immigration enforcement agents from accessing confidential taxpayer data while the lawsuit goes forward.

As the first line of our new court filing notes, the administration has now admitted what our lawsuit alleges. A hearing on our motion for a preliminary injunction is scheduled for next week.

Here’s what the lead attorney on the case, Public Citizen’s Nandan Joshi, told the national media:

“Congress crafted a narrow exception allowing the IRS to disclose taxpayer information for legitimate criminal investigations. The Trump administration cannot lawfully use that exception to obtain confidential information about hundreds of thousands or potentially millions of taxpayers simply to increase its deportation numbers.”

One really important point here:

Don’t make the mistake of thinking this is only about undocumented workers. The regime’s nakedly political attempt to weaponize tax data should send chills down the spine of every American who pays taxes and disagrees with (or might someday disagree with) this administration.

If Trump and his lackeys get away with doing this to one group, they’ll do it to another group, and another, and another — until there’s nobody left to fight back.

By the way, this is one of nine active lawsuits (so far) that Public Citizen is pursuing against the regime since Trump returned to power.

If the cases are starting to blur together, don’t worry — you don’t have to read every email or keep track of all the ins and outs. We will keep sending updates so you have at least an overall sense of how we’re fighting back against the Trump/Musk/DOGE/MAGA onslaught.

See our earlier note — copied below if you missed it — for more about this particular case.

Onward!

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Public Citizen is suing the Trump regime over one of the many insidious parts of its inhumane mass deportation scheme.

• Like other workers, undocumented workers are required to pay income taxes.

• The IRS is legally required to treat their tax records, like those of every other taxpayer, as private and confidential — unless disclosure is specifically allowed by law.

• No law permits the IRS to disclose tax records so that immigrants can be located for deportation.

• But the Trump regime nonetheless wants to access tax data — including names and current addresses — to support its mass deportation agenda.

• This lawsuit seeks to ensure that the IRS protects taxpayer privacy, as required by law.

This lawsuit is not just about the rights of undocumented workers.

Congress enacted taxpayer privacy laws in response to misuse of IRS records during the presidency of Richard Nixon. If the Trump regime is allowed to carry out this particular invasion of taxpayer privacy — in flagrant violation of the law — it won’t stop there. Before you know it, millions and millions of Americans could be subject to illegal invasions of privacy and government surveillance.

It’s a page right out of the authoritarian playbook.

If you can, please donate today to support Public Citizen’s work standing up to the Trump regime.

Anything you can chip in — $5 or $25, $50 or $100, $500 or even more — will help at such a critical moment.

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For justice,

- Lisa Gilbert & Robert Weissman, Co-Presidents of Public Citizen
 
 
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