Latest news with #DabneyFriedrich
Washington Post
19-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Jan. 6 rioter who assaulted police charged with burglary near Richmond
A Fairfax County man who assaulted police at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and smashed the glass pane through which Ashli Babbitt climbed before she was fatally shot, has been arrested again outside of Richmond. Zachary J. Alam is accused of breaking into a home this month while the residents were there. He appears to be the first Capitol rioter arrested on new charges after President Donald Trump granted clemency to the roughly 1,600 people charged for their roles in the insurrection. Alam, 33, of Centreville, spent more than four years in jail after assaulting police at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and in November he was sentenced to an eight-year term after a jury convicted him of seven felonies and three misdemeanors, including assaulting police officers and obstructing police during a civil disorder. At his sentencing last year, two days after Trump's election victory, Alam demanded a pardon and reparations. 'I will not accept a second-class pardon,' Alam said. 'I want a full pardon with all the benefits that come with it, including full compensation.' U.S. District Judge Dabney L. Friedrich cited Alam's 'lack of remorse' in giving him one of the longest Jan. 6-related sentences. 'The actions of Mr. Alam on Jan. 6 were among the most violent and aggressive of the Jan. 6 defendants,' she said, adding that officers at the Capitol recalled him because 'he was by far the loudest, the most combative and the most violent of the Jan. 6 rioters.' Alam was fully pardoned on Jan. 20 and released from jail. Henrico County police said they arrested Alam late on May 9, in a neighborhood just east of the Richmond city limits. Homeowners told officers that around 8:30 p.m., an unknown man entered their house on Arthurwood Place through the back door and took several items. The residents saw the man and asked him to leave. Police said they found the man in a nearby neighborhood. Alam was arrested and charged with felony residential burglary and misdemeanor vandalism. He was being held Monday in the Henrico County jail, jail officials said. Alam has prior convictions for auto theft, leaving the scene of an accident, petty larceny and drunken driving, according to federal prosecutors, who argued for a lengthy prison sentence after his Jan. 6-related conviction. Alam's attorney in the burglary and his Jan. 6 attorney both did not return messages seeking comment Monday. Alam was one of the first rioters to enter the Capitol, prosecutors said, and was at the front of a mob that broke through a police line inside the building. He then went to the Speaker's Lobby, where video showed him throwing himself against officers guarding the door, punching glass door panels behind the officers, and then using a helmet to cover his fist and completely dislodge the right-side panel. When Babbitt climbed into the space created by Alam, she was shot once by a Capitol Police officer. The shooting was ruled justified, but Babbitt's family sued and has apparently negotiated a $5 million settlement with the government, The Washington Post reported Monday. 'I know that breaking windows is against the law,' Alam said at his sentencing. 'But I believed in my heart I was doing the right thing. Sometimes you have to break the rules to do what's right. … Some J6ers did violence, but only because they thought they were saving the country in the process.' Alam is not the first Capitol riot defendant to be accused of breaking the law after the president issued the pardons on Jan. 20, but he is the first to be arrested. Six days after the mass clemency order was issued, Jan. 6 defendant Matthew Huttle was pulled over by a Jasper County sheriff's deputy in northwest Indiana, got into a scuffle with the deputy and was fatally shot. Video released after the incident showed that the deputy informed Huttle he was being arrested as a habitual traffic violator, a felony, because he had no valid license and multiple prior convictions. 'I stormed the Capitol. I'm waiting on my pardon,' Huttle told the deputy, 'I can't really afford to get into any trouble right now.' Huttle ran to his car, and the deputy followed. As the deputy reached for him, Huttle could be heard on the video saying, 'I'm shooting myself.' The deputy stepped back and fired multiple shots. Prosecutors said Huttle had a loaded pistol in his minivan, and they ruled the shooting justified.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Judge allows IRS to share data on undocumented immigrants for deportation
May 12 (UPI) -- A federal judge ruled Monday that the Internal Revenue Service can share taxpayer data with immigration authorities to locate undocumented immigrants for deportation. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, an appointee from President Donald Trump's first term, denied a preliminary injunction filed by immigrant rights groups, who argued sharing information violated taxpayer confidentiality laws. "Plaintiffs Centro de Trabajadores Unidos, Immigrant Solidarity DuPage, Somos Un Pueblo Unido and Inclusive Action for the City bring this action seeking declaratory and injunctive relief to prevent the Internal Revenue Service from sharing personal tax information with the Department of Homeland Security for immigration enforcement purposes," Friedrich wrote, adding "the court will deny the motion." The ruling is a win for the Trump administration and the president's immigration agenda. Last month, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem agreed to allow U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to submit names of immigrants for cross-verification of tax records. Under the data-sharing deal, DHS can ask the IRS to confirm the addresses of suspected undocumented immigrants in the United States. Friedrich said sharing information between federal agencies to enforce immigration laws does not violate confidentiality laws. "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," according to Friedrich's order. Last month, acting IRS Commissioner Melanie Kraus resigned over the data-sharing deal. Former acting IRS Commissioner Doug O'Donnell also refused to sign the agreement in February, before he retired. While the IRS can share data to help in criminal investigations, the tax agency can not share data on civil issues or to help with deportations. According to the Justice Department, the data-sharing agreement complies with the law because requests for IRS information will target only those under criminal investigation. "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," Friedrich wrote. "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."
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Federal judge allows IRS to share illegal alien data with DHS in court win for Trump
A federal judge on Monday denied an injunction request to prevent the Department of Homeland Security and Internal Revenue Service from partnering to permit U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement (ICE) to access taxpayer information to locate illegal immigrants subject to deportation. The order by U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich came amid a lawsuit by Centro de Trabajadores Unidos and other immigrant-rights groups against Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. "Plaintiffs Centro de Trabajadores Unidos, Immigrant Solidarity DuPage, Somos Un Pueblo Unido, and Inclusive Action for the City bring this action seeking declaratory and injunctive relief to prevent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from sharing personal tax information with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for immigration enforcement purposes. Before the Court is the plaintiffs' Motion for Preliminary Injunction, Dkt. 28. For the reasons that follow, the Court will deny the motion." "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 order continued. Justice Department Tells Federal Judge It Might Invoke State Secrets Act On High-profile Deportation Case Nonprofits Centro de Trabajadores Unidos and Immigrant Solidarity DuPage, representing immigrant workers in the Chicago area, brought the lawsuit against Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent, the IRS, and Commissioner of Internal Revenue Melanie Krause, seeking to block the disclosure of personal information of taxpayers and other confidential tax records to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for immigration enforcement purposes. Read On The Fox News App In a statement to Fox News Digital, Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS assistant secretary of public affairs, said information shirring across all federal agencies to identify illegal immigrants is essential in order to "determine what public safety and terror threats may exist so we can neutralize them, scrub these individuals from voter rolls, as well as identify what public benefits these aliens are using at taxpayer expense." "Under President Trump's leadership, the government is finally doing what it should have all along—sharing information across the federal government to solve problems," she said. "Biden not only allowed millions of illegal aliens—including gang members, suspected terrorists, and violent criminals—to flood into our country, but he also lost them due to incompetence and improper processing." "Information sharing across agencies is essential to identify who is in our country and determine what public safety and terror threats may exist so we can neutralize them, scrub these individuals from voter rolls, as well as identify what public benefits these aliens are using at taxpayer expense. "Today's ruling is a victory for the American people and for commonsense." An earlier memorandum of understanding between DHS and the IRS outlines a process to ensure that sensitive taxpayer data information is protected while allowing law enforcement to pursue criminal violations, a senior Treasury Department official said at the time the deal was reached in April. The deal allows DHS to ask the IRS to confirm the home addresses of illegal immigrants suspected of violating deportation orders. The IRS can share data to aid criminal investigations but is prohibited from sharing information related to civil matters, such as facilitating deportations. The Treasury Department is committed to protecting the privacy of law-abiding taxpayers, but a criminal exception obligates the agency to assist law enforcement, the official told Fox News Digital at the time. Fox News Digital has reached out to the IRS, DHS and the legal team for the groups involved in the lawsuit. The deal would allow ICE to submit the names and addresses of illegal immigrants to the IRS, who could then cross-check those immigrants' tax records and provide the immigration agency with current address information. "The Court agrees that 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," Friedrich wrote. "As the plaintiffs acknowledge, the Memorandum only allows sharing information for criminal investigations." As the Memorandum provides, its purpose is to establish procedures enabling "requests for addresses of persons subject to criminal investigation," the order said. The agreement comes as President Donald Trump has continued to ramp up the deportation effort he promised on the campaign article source: Federal judge allows IRS to share illegal alien data with DHS in court win for Trump
Newsweek
12-05-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Trump Admin Gets a Win as Judge Allows IRS to Share Tax Data With ICE
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A federal judge on Monday declined to halt the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) from sharing immigrants' tax information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), clearing the way for continued collaboration aimed at identifying and deporting individuals living in the U.S. without legal status. U.S. District Judge Dabney Friedrich, a Trump appointee, denied a preliminary injunction sought by nonprofit groups who argued that undocumented immigrants who file taxes deserve the same privacy protections afforded to U.S. citizens and legal residents. Friedrich had previously refused to issue a temporary order blocking the data-sharing agreement. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers use a chain to more comfortably restrain a detained person using handcuffs positioned in front, Jan. 27, 2025, in Silver Spring, Md. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers use a chain to more comfortably restrain a detained person using handcuffs positioned in front, Jan. 27, 2025, in Silver Spring, Md. Associated Press The ruling marks a legal victory for the Trump administration and comes just weeks after former acting IRS Commissioner Melanie Krause stepped down over the controversial arrangement. The deal permits ICE to submit names and addresses of suspected undocumented immigrants to the IRS, which then cross-checks the data against tax filings. The IRS has faced internal turmoil over the administration's push to broaden access to taxpayer information. A previous acting commissioner resigned amid backlash tied to a separate controversy involving Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency gaining access to sensitive IRS data. The Treasury Department defended the arrangement, saying it supports President Donald Trump's broader immigration enforcement strategy. That strategy has included mass deportations, workplace raids, and even the invocation of an obscure 18th-century wartime statute to expedite the removal of Venezuelan migrants. ICE leadership maintains that the inter-agency collaboration is intended strictly for "major criminal cases," but civil liberties advocates disagree. Critics argue that the IRS-ICE information-sharing pact infringes on privacy laws and sets a dangerous precedent that could erode the confidentiality of all taxpayers, not just undocumented immigrants. This is developing news and will be updated as more information is available. Reporting by the Associated Press contributed to this article.
CNN
12-05-2025
- Politics
- CNN
Federal judge won't block Trump's plan to use IRS data to track down undocumented migrants
Source: CNN A federal judge won't block a controversial Trump administration initiative to share highly sensitive taxpayer information with federal immigration authorities in hopes of tracking down undocumented immigrants and quickly deporting them out of the country. District Judge Dabney Friedrich on Monday rejected arguments from several immigrant-rights groups, that claimed the data-sharing agreement between the Internal Revenue Service and Immigration and Customs Enforcement violated taxpayer confidentiality laws. The decision is a victory for President Donald Trump and his immigration agenda. Trump administration officials argued that greater cooperation between the IRS and ICE will protect Americans by kicking out potentially dangerous immigrants who came to the country illegally. CNN has reached out for comment to the IRS and the Department of Homeland Security. Friedrich was appointed by Trump in 2017 during the president's first term. The immigrant-rights groups that filed the case could now appeal her ruling to the DC Circuit Court of Appeals. The data-sharing deal allows DHS, which oversees ICE, to ask the IRS to confirm home addresses of suspected undocumented immigrants who are suspected of defying deportation orders. The deal was pushed through in early April over the objections of several top career IRS officials, who refused to sign it because of legal concerns. Those concerns stemmed from the fact that federal laws strictly limit when the IRS can share taxpayer information with other agencies. The IRS can share data to aid criminal investigations, but the tax agency can't share data solely to facilitate deportations, which are a civil matter. The judge concluded in her Monday ruling that the Trump administration crafted the data-sharing deal carefully enough to – at least on its face – comply with the law. The Justice Department has argued that requests for private data will only target people under criminal investigation for illegally defying deportation orders. The immigrant groups have argued this is a thinly veiled pretext to get around the law. '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,' Friedrich wrote, adding. '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.' An attorney for the groups that sued the Trump administration, Alan Morrison, said he was disappointed with the ruling but considering an appeal and additional litigation. The judge 'made it clear that DHS and IRS must comply strictly with the limited exception on which they relied,' Morrison said in a statement. '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.' For decades, undocumented immigrants have been encouraged to register with the IRS and pay the federal taxes they owe – and have been assured their private identifying information will remain private. The Trump administration's attempt to eliminate this firewall has spurred panic in immigrant communities and has led some undocumented migrants to pull back from filing their federal taxes this year. CNN recently reported that Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency is building a master database with data from the IRS, the Social Security Administration and other agencies to streamline immigration enforcement. A spokesperson for the Treasury Department, which oversees the IRS, insisted late last month that taxpayer data is not 'being inappropriately shared across government agencies.' At a court hearing last month, Friedrich scrutinized the data-sharing deal and questioned whether the Trump administration concocted a pretext so the arrangement would pass legal muster. But she also pressed the immigrant-rights groups that filed the case, challenging them to show evidence that the Trump administration intended to violate taxpayer privacy laws. '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,' Friedrich wrote Monday in her ruling. 'The plain language of (the federal tax code) mandates disclosure under the specific circumstances and preconditions outlined in the (IRS-ICE agreement).' This story has been updated with additional details. See Full Web Article
