Cnn
–
Up to 50 senior IT professionals from the Internal Revenue Service, including some of the main cybersecurity experts from the agency, were put on administrative leave on Friday while the Trump administration finalizes controversial plans to share taxpayers with the federal immigration authorities, according to three familiar sources with the problem.
The dozens of IRS employees who were placed on leave on Friday evening saw their access to the agency’s computer systems immediately cut themselves, according to the sources. Some of the dozens of employees tried to go to the office on Monday morning but were pushed, said a source.
The dismissal of IT managers occurs while access to IRS data systems was a discord between federal career employees and the government’s ministry of efficiency, although it is not clear if employees have been put on leave in the context of the reduction in staff or in relation to data sharing disputes.
CNN reported last week that the IRS was about to reach an unprecedented agreement with immigration and customs application to share the location information of alleged undocumented immigrants while the administration works to accelerate deportations. This sparked a legal battle on generally confidential information.
The so-called “separation email” sent on Friday, which was obtained by CNN, did not include an explanation. The email said that their leave status was “immediately immediately” and that “access to the agency’s computer systems will be suspended, and you should not try to use them”.
A spokesperson for the Treasury Department confirmed that employees had been on leave, but denied having something to do with access to IRS data for the application of immigration: “Within the framework of the Treasury department and IRS leadership assessment, in the best way to improve the performance of the IRS and simultaneously reduce decision-making costs have been placed on temporary administrator.
Two sources knowing the situation told CNN that they thought that IT employees may have been targeted to postpone some of the sensitive data from the taxpayers that Doge seeks in the context of deportation efforts. The source said that some of Doge’s requests had not been compliant with confidentiality and disclosure laws that impose strict rules when IRS data can be shared.
“It is well known that they (DOGE) are trying to remove people who are” blockers “, said the source in CNN, using a sentence that Doge members use for anyone who has perceived as entering their way.
Another source – a former senior IRS official who examined a list of employees who were sidelined – said they all seemed involved in the backup of data from private taxpayers.
“They all have expertise in IRS firewalls for data that can happen and what can happen,” the former official told CNN. “And they are all very vigilant on the protection of this information.”
DOGE did not respond to a request for comments.
Millions of undocumented immigrants register with IRS and pay billions of dollars in federal taxes each year. The individual information of taxpayers is, according to law, only that of other government agencies, except in very specific situations, often with an order of the court.
Two groups of immigrants brought legal action this month aimed at preventing the IRS from providing data on taxpayers to ice or the Ministry of Internal Security. A judge recently refused to make an emergency order binding the hands of the IRS, but a hearing is planned for mid-April to determine whether an injunction is appropriate, now that the plans are more concrete.
“The staff of the Bordered IRS is trained in the way of protecting the privacy of taxpayers,” said Nandan Joshi, lawyer for the public citizen who represents immigrant groups, in an email. “It is disturbing to hear that experts who could hinder illegal data are released.”
Trump administration officials said, notably during a recent court hearing, that any cooperation or sharing of data between IRS and ice will fully comply with federal law.
Several sources have said they are worried about the vacuum cleaner created by putting the touch of these staff members.
“What is the impact? I don’t know. But that is not an impact,” a source told CNN. “They are some of our best people. They are excellent people of cybersecurity, now placed on leave. ”
This last multitude of endowment movements on the endowment occurs in the middle of a broader push within the IRS and the entire Trump administration, to reduce the size of the federal government. CNN previously pointed out that IRS may be faced with a reduction in the endowment up to 20%, with more sections expected soon.
This story has been updated with comments from the Treasury Department.
