- Government Efficiency Department staff granted access to migrant databases.
- HUD officials developing policy to prohibit mixed-status households from accessing services.
- White House supports these initiatives, emphasizing data sharing to locate and deport migrants.
According to a report by The Detroit News, the Trump administration has been using personal data that is usually safeguarded to track down undocumented immigrants at their places of employment, education, and residence, often aiming to displace them from housing and jobs.
The Department of Government Efficiency staff now have access to databases containing private information about individuals’ work and living situations, as reported by The Independent.
This initiative is part of a broader effort to identify undocumented immigrants and further Trump’s mass deportation agenda.
Agencies such as the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Social Security Administration, and the IRS hold databases filled with private information that immigrants of all statuses provided under the assumption that it would not be used against them.
Officials at HUD are currently drafting a policy aimed at preventing mixed-status households—those with individuals having different immigration statuses—from qualifying for public housing, according to unnamed sources.
Elon Musk’s initiative, DOGE, is also analyzing HUD data to track down undocumented immigrants and share this information with the Department of Homeland Security, which could lead to those individuals being denied public benefits, even if they reside with a person who has legal status.
This move is just one of several measures intended to utilize government data in order to support the executive branch’s goals.
Legal experts, however, caution that these actions may violate privacy regulations and could potentially erode public trust in the government.
“This is not just about one particular group; it affects us all,” remarked Tanya Broder, senior counsel for health and economic justice policy at the National Immigration Law Center, in an interview with the Post. “Everyone values their privacy. No one wants their healthcare or tax information used as a tool against them.”
Despite these concerns, the White House has endorsed these initiatives, highlighting the necessity of data sharing to locate migrants for removal.
“Inter-agency information sharing is crucial to identify who resides in our country, including potential threats to public safety, and to ascertain what public services they are utilizing at taxpayers’ expense,” stated a Homeland Security assistant secretary of public affairs to the Post.
“American taxpayer dollars should benefit American citizens, particularly regarding issues as critical as our nation’s housing crisis,” noted Scott Turner, Secretary of HUD. “This new collaboration will optimize resources, including technology and personnel, to prioritize American citizens in public housing matters.”
Officials at the IRS have also agreed to provide specific tax information pertaining to undocumented immigrants to ICE, enabling the agency to locate millions suspected of being in the country illegally.
Crackdown on Demonstrators
The administration has launched investigations into whether five universities appropriately addressed allegations of antisemitism this past February.
Documents reveal that political appointees from the Education Department instructed attorneys overseeing these cases to request the names and nationalities of demonstrators opposing Israel’s military actions in Gaza.
Craig Trainor, the acting assistant secretary for civil rights at the Education Department, stated that this data was essential for evaluating how universities responded to antisemitism allegations but did not directly address any connection to immigration and deportation.
