Protecting Dreamers' Confidentiality: Legislation Aims to Safeguard Sensitive Personal Data

Strategic Insights -

U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME) has joined legislation to prohibit the sharing of sensitive personal data, such as taxpayer and health information, with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act aims to provide a statutory guarantee to current and prospective Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program applicants, also known as Dreamers, that the private information they provide in their applications will not be used against them.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act would prohibit the DHS Secretary from disclosing information included in an individual's application for the DACA program to law enforcement agencies, including ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), for any purpose other than the implementation of the DACA program.
  • The bill would direct the DHS Secretary to protect the information included in an individual's application to the DACA program from disclosure to ICE, CBP, and any other law enforcement agency for any purpose other than the implementation of the DACA program.
  • The bill would provide limited exceptions for when an individual's application information may be shared with national security and law enforcement agencies, namely: to identify or prevent fraudulent claims; for particularized national security concerns; and for the investigation or prosecution of a felony, provided that the felony in question is not related to the applicant's immigration status.
  • Since 2012, more than 825,000 people have received deferred action pursuant to DACA, contributing an estimated $140 billion to the U.S. economy in spending power and paying $40 billion in combined federal, payroll, state, and local taxes.
  • The bill is cosponsored by Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Brian Schatz (D-HI), John Fetterman (D-PA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), Patty Murray (D-WA), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Ed Markey (D-MA), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Peter Welch (D-VT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN.), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Jack Reed (D-RI), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Chris Murphy (D-CT).

Statistics:

  • Over 825,000 people have received deferred action pursuant to DACA since 2012.
  • DACA recipients have contributed an estimated $140 billion to the U.S. economy in spending power.
  • DACA recipients have paid $40 billion in combined federal, payroll, state, and local taxes.
  • The Fifth Circuit decision in March 2025 gave United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) the authority to start processing initial DACA applications from states other than Texas.

Sources:

  • U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME)
  • The Protect DREAMer Confidentiality Act (bill text available)
  • A one-page summary of the bill (available)
  • The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling (March 2025)
  • The Trump Administration's agreement giving U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) access to taxpayer data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
  • The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) gaining access to key immigration databases