Homeland Security Pushes for Access to Restricted Federal Database on Child Support, Employment Information for Millions

The Department of Homeland Security is seeking to gain access to a trove of federal information that is intended to support the collection of child support payments but could potentially be used for immigration enforcement purposes, according to three sources familiar with the talks who describe the move as unprecedented.

The data — which includes both information on people who pay child support and employment information for a much wider universe of people — is stored within the Health and Human Services Department and is used to collect child support payments. The request has prompted concerns among current and former HHS officials over whether Homeland Security would use legally restricted information that has historically been legally restricted for the administration’s immigration crackdown — and, in turn, sow distrust in a critical program.

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Sources told CNN that DHS has requested access to the Federal Parent Locator Service, which is a set of databases at HHS that includes sensitive information on millions of Americans for the purpose of child support payment collection. One of those databases is the National Directory of New Hires, which contains employment details even for people with no nexus to child support though their information is eventually wiped.

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While immigration status is not included in the data collection, it could be inferred by who does or doesn’t have a social security number. Undocumented immigrants can receive child support because it’s not a public benefit, nor paid by the taxpayer.

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Multiple sources told CNN that the DHS request would likely be in violation of federal law, which explicitly states how the information is handled and who is authorized to do so. DHS is not an authorized user and immigration enforcement is not an authorized use, according to former HHS officials.

It’s unclear whether DHS will succeed in accessing the databases.

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