The Department of Homeland Security is requesting access to the Federal Parent Locator Service, a government database containing employment records, salary information and personal details for virtually every American worker, according to six current and former federal officials. The database was created specifically for child support enforcement purposes.

The Federal Parent Locator Service maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services includes names, addresses, Social Security numbers, employer information and wages for every employed person in the country, as well as equivalent data from state unemployment systems. It also contains sensitive information about children involved in child support cases, including their sex, birthday and Social Security number, along with details on family relationships and domestic violence status.

Legal experts and former child support enforcement officials say granting DHS access would violate federal law, which explicitly limits the database's use to determining and collecting child support payments. The request is currently being considered within HHS, the officials said.

What the Right Is Saying

The White House has defended the administration's approach, saying it is working to lawfully implement the president's agenda. A White House spokesperson stated that the entire Trump administration is working to lawfully implement the President's agenda to put Americans first, and that any sensitive information required to do so will be obtained and handled properly.

The administration has prioritized immigration enforcement as a core policy goal. DHS officials have not explained publicly why the department needs access to child support data, though the request comes as part of broader efforts to locate and track individuals in immigration enforcement proceedings.

The White House statement emphasized that any data access would be handled properly and lawfully, suggesting the administration believes there are legal pathways to justify the request. DHS initially requested additional time to respond to detailed questions but ultimately did not provide any substantive answers.

What the Left Is Saying

Democratic lawmakers and child welfare advocates are warning that granting DHS access to the database would devastate the child support system and harm vulnerable families. They argue the request violates federal law and could expose domestic violence victims to danger.

Former Commissioner of HHS's Office of Child Support Enforcement Vicki Turetsky, who held the position from 2009 to 2016, said turning the child support data over to Homeland Security would be disastrous for child support enforcement and would ruin the foundation of the program. Turetsky warned that employers, fearing ICE workplace arrests or raids, would likely stop reporting new hires to the government, degrading the system's ability to locate parents who owe payments.

State child support agency leaders have been communicating concerns to one another about this prospect. Kate Cooper Richardson, who retired in January after leading Oregon's child support program for decades, said state officials have spent decades building trust with employers, assuring them that sensitive worker information would be used only for child support enforcement. She noted that some business leaders have already reached out to state administrators concerned about rumors of the administration seeking to use this data for immigration enforcement.

What the Numbers Show

The Federal Parent Locator Service contains employment records for virtually every employed person in the United States. The database includes information on all workers covered by employment insurance, updated throughout the year, even for individuals who have no children. Only those working exclusively in the gig economy or cash economy, or who are entirely self-employed, might not be included.

Approximately 1 in 5 U.S. children rely on consistent and regular child support payments, according to child support program data. The system depends on employer cooperation to track when parents who owe support obtain new employment.

Last year, Department of Government Efficiency appointees briefly gained access to the National Directory of New Hires, which contains employment information from the child support database. Federal courts temporarily blocked DOGE's access to Social Security, IRS and other sensitive records before the team disbanded last summer.

The Bottom Line

The legal question at the center of this dispute hinges on whether DHS can access a database that federal law restricts to child support enforcement purposes. Child welfare experts warn that even if legal pathways exist, the policy implications could be severe: employers may stop cooperating with child support enforcement out of fear that their workers' data will be shared with immigration authorities, potentially leaving millions of children without reliable support payments.

The request remains under consideration at HHS. What happens next will likely depend on whether the department determines there is a lawful basis for sharing the data, and whether the potential impact on child support enforcement outweighs immigration enforcement priorities. State administrators and child welfare advocates are preparing for what could be a significant shift in how sensitive family data is used across federal agencies.