Today, April 15, is known as Tax Day. Millions and millions of Americans have
been — and maybe still are, at this very moment — scrambling to complete their
tax returns.

When we submit our tax returns, we do so in the knowledge that they are supposed
to remain confidential. That’s because of taxpayer privacy laws enacted by
Congress in response to rampant misuse of IRS records during the presidency of
Richard Nixon. (Remember when Nixon was as bad as we thought a president could
be?)

Donald Trump himself — rather infamously — has clearly felt entitled to keep his
tax returns secret. Even though candidates for president have, for many decades,
voluntarily released their tax returns in recognition that the degree of trust
and power they are asking for warrants something as profound as relinquishing
the expectation of confidentiality that is so ingrained among American
taxpayers.

So it is ironic, to say the least, that the Trump regime is laying the
groundwork to violate the privacy of potentially millions of Americans.

They are starting with undocumented workers, asking that the IRS hand over sensitive taxpayer info to
immigration enforcement agents in flagrant violation of the law. But it would be
foolish to think this administration will stop there.

Like most of us, 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 — and no law permits the IRS to disclose tax records for the purpose of
locating immigrants so that they can be deported.

Last week, the American people learned of a backroom deal between Treasury
Secretary Scott Bessent (jillionaire hedge fund bro) and Homeland Security
Secretary Kristi Noem (self-professed dog killer) for confidential taxpayer info
to be handed over to immigration enforcement agents, in clear violation of the
law.

How did this unprecedented and illegal plot come to light?

Because the Trump regime disclosed it in court papers they filed in response to a lawsuit handled by Public Citizen intended to prevent the IRS from doing exactly what it has now admitted it is,
in fact, trying to do.

We will be back in court TOMORROW for a hearing on our motion for a preliminary
injunction in the case. In non-legal terminology, we are asking the judge to
prevent immigration enforcement agents from accessing confidential taxpayer data
while our lawsuit goes forward.

We really can’t emphasize this enough:

This lawsuit is not just about the rights of undocumented workers. The regime’s
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. 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. [[link removed]]

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If you’ve donated to Public Citizen already, thank you. If a donation is not
right, we get it. Either way, thank you for being part of Public Citizen.

By the way, this is one of 10 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.

For justice,

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


Public Citizen | 1600 20th Street NW | Washington DC 20009 | Unsubscribe
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