JUST IN: Trump Scores Momentous Legal Victory

The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals delivered a major win for President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown this week, ruling that the IRS can share certain taxpayer information with the Department of Homeland Security to help identify and deport illegal immigrants.

In a decision that strengthens federal enforcement authority, the court found that existing law does not create a blanket shield protecting illegal immigrants’ tax records from being used in lawful immigration investigations.

At the center of the case was Section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code, which governs the confidentiality of tax returns. Advocacy groups had argued that the statute bars the IRS from sharing information with DHS for deportation purposes and warned that cooperation would “undermine trust” in the tax system.

The appeals court disagreed, concluding that the law contains exceptions that allow disclosures tied to legitimate law enforcement functions. Immigration enforcement, the court indicated, does not exist in a legal vacuum.

The ruling overturns a lower court decision that had blocked the Trump administration from coordinating between the IRS and DHS.

For years, millions of illegal immigrants have filed tax returns using Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers, or ITINs, even though they are not authorized to work in the United States. Critics of the lower court ruling argued it effectively created a safe harbor, allowing individuals in the country illegally to provide personal information to one arm of the federal government while shielding it from another.

🚨 BREAKING — DC APPEALS COURT SIDES WITH TRUMP: Rules the IRS CAN share information on illegals with the Department of Homeland Security for deportations

LFG!!! 🇺🇸

This opens up a TON of new doors for DHS to speed up deportations. pic.twitter.com/ANnrsufUXa

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) February 24, 2026

Supporters of the Trump administration say the appeals court restored common sense.

Federal agencies, they argue, should not be forced to operate in silos when enforcing the law. If someone is in the country illegally, sharing relevant information between agencies is part of basic governance, not a constitutional crisis.

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Immigrant advocacy groups had claimed the policy would discourage tax compliance. But supporters counter that following federal immigration law is not optional, and that the government is under no obligation to insulate illegal status from enforcement simply because someone filed a return.

The Department of Homeland Security has not yet detailed how it will implement the ruling. The IRS has also not publicly outlined specific procedures for information sharing going forward.

The decision marks another courtroom victory for Trump’s broader immigration agenda, which has focused on tightening border security, ramping up interior enforcement and dismantling bureaucratic obstacles that critics say have protected illegal immigrants from accountability.

Legal challenges are likely to continue, and the issue could ultimately reach the Supreme Court. For now, however, the appeals court’s message was clear: federal law does not require the IRS to serve as a firewall against immigration enforcement.

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