In a significant win for the Trump administration, District Judge Dabney Friedrich rejected arguments from pro-immigration groups that sought to block the IRS from sharing information with federal authorities to deport illegal immigrants.
For context, Trump has made mass deportations a central part of his second-term agenda, and far-left groups have sought to tie up his government with dozens of wasteful lawsuits. Undeterred by the lawfare, Trump, with the help of Immigration Czar Tom Homan, has implemented sweeping reforms to the immigration system to keep America safe.
Starting off her May 12, 2025, decision, Judge Friedrich smashed the hopes of immigration activists. She wrote, “Requesting and receiving information for civil enforcement purposes would constitute a cognizable injury, but none of the organizations have established that such an injury is imminent.”
Making sure to respect constitutional rights, she clarified, “The Memorandum only allows sharing information for criminal investigations … On this limited record, the Court cannot assume that DHS intends to use the shared information to facilitate civil rather than criminal proceedings.”
Blasting the woke activists who brought this case, she concluded her decision. District Judge Dabney Friedrich declared, “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 (the federal tax code) mandates disclosure under the specific circumstances and preconditions outlined in the (IRS-ICE agreement)’purposes.'”
Reacting to the decision, Alan Morrison, an attorney representing several immigrant groups, was disheartened. He stated that the judge “made it clear that DHS and IRS must comply strictly with the limited exception on which they relied,” adding “So far, DHS has not made formal requests for taxpayer data, and plaintiffs will be keeping a close watch to be sure that the defendants carry out their promises to follow the law and not use the exception for unlawful purposes.”
Rejoicing at the major win, conservative influencer Libs of TikTok celebrated the news with her 4.3 million followers. She posted, “HUGE WIN! Federal judge, Dabney Friedrich says she won’t block the IRS from sharing data with DHS to locate illegals for deportation. This information sharing will be key in identifying people here illegally by cross referencing names with tax data. Can you believe people here illegally get tax refunds?!”
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Overjoyed by the court victory, conservatives took to the comments section to give their reactions. One user noted, “This isn’t about “tracking”—it’s about executing court-ordered removals. The alternative is chaos, where deportable felons vanish into communities. Secure borders require using every tool, including tax records, to enforce the law.”
Reacting to the case details, many users were confused as to why the Trump administration’s decision was controversial in the first place. One comment asked, “So let me get this straight… citizens get audited, but illegals get refunds? The IRS went from ‘we are the government’ to ‘we are the getaway car.'” Another added, “I’m confused. Are these people working on the books and paying taxes and that’s why they’re getting refunds? Were they given a ss# to work?”