>> acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service is resigning in protest.

The move comes after the IRS reached an agreement with the Department of Homeland Security to share taxpayer information about some undocumented immigrants law enforce with law enforcement agencies.

It's part of President Donald Trump's deportation push.

But advocates are pushing back saying the deal could we can trust in the tax system.

Joining us now with more our Kevin Nevada and legal director Andres, the Florida Alliance.

And Isabel might in this board president of center through a hollow to some needles or the United Workers Center.

Thank you both for joining us.

Kevin, I want to start with you.

Raise the floor is part of the coalition taking legal action against this agreement.

Why take this step?

>> It's been very clear based on conversations with coalition members are partners in DC Public citizen are now on Horowitz from George Washington School of Law as well as from organizations that joining us from New Mexico Somos Un Pueblo Unido and United Action for the city of Los Angeles that this is moment of national peril.

Honestly, it's a move to undermine public confidence in the IRS.

It's an attack on the supports that we all depend on with over 60 billion dollars in taxes paid by undocumented taxpayers are people with ITunes and then again, it's a terrorizing aspect that they're looking to bring up on our communities primarily by.

Forcing people to believe that by doing their civic duty and paying taxes on their income, that that will somehow be weaponized against them and used to seek them out when, you know, there's not a very individualized suspicion for any of these individuals and they've been paying taxes as they support us for years.

And Kevin, no prior presidential administration has done something like this before was sort of message.

Would you say this sense this sends a message that it doesn't matter how sacrosanct or protected an agency is?

>> The Trump administration is more than willing to break it down and to use it for a political lens or a political agenda.

So what have come to understand is the law's very clear.

it's that you can't ask for taxpayer data because it's very important that when we pay taxes, we have an expectation of privacy because so much sensitive information is in there.

Our address is family members where we work, who are spouses are and that privacy protection, that data expectation of we can't expect that someone's going to be able to pry into it has totally been upended based on again, larger promises about mass deportations, whether or not they're effective or whether or not they're actually achieving an end for ourselves.

Our neighbors and Isabel, the Trump administration promotes this narrative that immigrant workers don't pay taxes.

We know that is not factual.

>> How are they able to file and what type of tax forms do they file?

>> Every every person that pays taxes that this not have a Social Security number, their recourse is to obtain an number.

They have to present their very private information, their name, their date of birth, even their physical passport has to be sent into the IRS to be able to obtain the I-10.

So releasing this information to DHS is.

Going.

It goes to the core of what they believe was going to be private private information that they were disclosing to the IRS.

you shocked when this decision when this agreement was made the thing is also an immigration attorney and I always advise my clients.

Okay.

You have to pay taxes.

You have to do.

You have to follow the law and now this is going to be held against my client is going there.

It's putting a target on them for following the law.

And let's talk about this plan.

Ice officials claim that this plan is to share confidential taxpayer information to help them find people collecting benefits that aren't entitled to in using someone else identity.

Kevin, what are your concerns about this plan?

So primarily, I think that that's a false justification for what they're claiming to do.

Honestly.

>> When you look at the memorandum of understanding which was turned over to us as part of the lawsuit we've brought against the IRS.

It really just explains that there is a broad suspicion of hundreds of thousands, if not millions of immigrants that are in the country without authorization.

There is some specificity as to people with deportation orders are people who have versus substance suspected to have overstayed certain certain visas.

But there is no clarity on that.

And the idea that there is some sort of subterfuge or people are using false identities to remain in the country and how the IRS would be used to even, you know, find that out if it were true is really hazy.

So I don't know that any of those explanations really line up with the actual justification and Isabella talk about benefits.

What benefits are undocumented tax paying workers entitled to?

>> if they the if by the time that they retire, they have not been able to adjust their status, obtain a green card naturalize.

They will not be able to get any any Social Security benefits.

They cannot up team every single penny that they've put into the Social Security, the federal taxes, their income tax, everything they've paid.

They cannot they're not entitled to it.

And so this money is just being left as just heard.

Kevin there, that's quick $1000 to go into executive.

They're not entitled to it.

If eventually cannot obtain status once they are retiring.

So they're missing out on all this money they put into the system.

It obviously they did it voluntarily because they paying taxes.

Like your stage the aisles aisles, follow the rules.

And we encourage that at every moment when we're doing any type of case for a client.

And if they follow the rule, they don't even they cannot even get the benefit once they retire.

And Isabel want to mention, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic policy, undocumented immigrants paid 96.7 billion and federal, state and local taxes in 2022. in Illinois, tax revenue was 1.5 billion.

Would you say there is some concern that this effect could discourage them from wanting to pay taxes are filing taxes.

The will discourage them.

>> Because they they will have fear that now have having get a 9.10, but it's going to put they're going to be criminalized and put them at risk that DHS is not going to comment.

Look for them and detain them and separate them from their families.

The only reason when it came to this country is to try provide for this family and now they'll be separated and everything.

They've worked for its going to be left behind their homes.

You know, many immigrants come to this country because here they are able to own their home for the first time in now, if they are detained deported, they will have to leave everything behind and like the home that the that they work for, as you mentioned.

And Kevin.

>> As a result of this agreement are IRS Acting Commissioner Melanie Cause and several other leadership employees have children to resign from the position.

You know, what does this say?

How do you what is same cloud?

What do you take of it?

>> What it says me and to the other advocates that are involved in this as well as to many people involved in the federal government look, this has been a steadfast policy for the IRS since the laws that govern that were put into place.

And so data privacy, our expectation of confidence in the administration.

Has been thrown out the window and with that that that abandonment, people who believe themselves to be responsible for maintaining the IRS are leaving the agency because they just can't abide by how much illegality is being put into place when they're running their systems.

>> And it's about we have time for one last question.

How are you advising the people come to you, the undocumented workers at this point, how are you advising them?

It's a it's a hard position to be in because people do trust an attorney, too.

>> Guide them.

I'm not an accountant, but again, I have always told my clients like dueled your duty as as a person lives in the United States pay your taxes, you know, at the long run, this will be a benefit to you.

But now it's going to be hard.

It's going to be hard for me 2 advice this because they will be discouraged by yet just that we're in the middle of a legal fight on this next Wednesday will be able to stand up in DC in front of a judge and say this is unlawful.

You have to put a stop to So in terms of people and what they're thinking about the fights not over.

>> And so we may not know what