“Disclosing this information would be unlawful, and it would expose vulnerable children and families, including victims of domestic violence, to significant harm.”
Washington, D.C. – Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden, D-Ore., and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., sounded the alarm about reports that the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) plans to share the federal government’s most comprehensive database of Americans’ personal information with immigration enforcement officials.
Congress created the Federal Parent Locator Service (FPLS) to identify and keep track of adults who owe child support, even as they change jobs or move from one state to another. In order to ensure that child support payments flow with minimal interruption to the children who need them, the FPLS tracks names, addresses, Social Security numbers, and wage and employer information for every American worker. The FPLS database also includes a Federal Case Registry, which identifies children who have been reported victims of domestic violence alongside names and addresses of their family members.
“Needless to say, it would be dangerous to share this information more broadly; any alleged abusers who work in government or law enforcement would gain access to private case information about their victims,” Wyden and Whitehouse wrote to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. “It is clear that the Trump administration seeks to endow DHS with maximal power to hunt down, intimidate, and detain our constituents. But the law places constraints on your ability to do so. The FPLS database exists to protect vulnerable children by ensuring that adults provide the economic support they need.”
Even though federal law prohibits HHS from sharing this data, multiple reports indicate that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has requested access to FPLS within the last month. Business leaders and child welfare advocates alike have expressed concerns that sharing FPLS data with immigration enforcement officials would make employers more hesitant to report their new hires to the government, which would in turn, hamper efforts to track down the adults who owe child support to at-risk children.
“Further emboldened with addresses and employment information, we can be certain that DHS would willingly rip these child support payments away from children by detaining and deporting the parents who provide them,” Wyden and Whitehouse continued. “The fact that DHS also seeks to exploit and further disseminate Federal Case Registry information about juvenile victims of domestic violence should shock the conscience”
Wyden and Whitehouse demanded answers to the following questions by April 30:
- Does HHS take the position that it may lawfully share information from the Federal Case Registry with DHS?
- What—if any—information from the FPLS does HHS believe it can lawfully share with DHS?
- Please share any legal memoranda or similar work product prepared by the Office of the General Counsel that address questions (1) and (2).
Wyden has fought unlawful government actions related to Americans’ sensitive data. In April 2025, Wyden demanded answers about the Department of Government Efficiency requesting access to this same national child support database. In January 2026, Wyden demanded answers about Immigration Customs and Enforcement abusing taxpayer data.
The text of the letter is here.
A web version of this release is here.
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