By Rene Marsh and Marshall Cohen, CNN

(CNN) — As many as 50 senior IT professionals at the Internal Revenue Service, including some of the agency’s top cybersecurity experts, were placed on administrative leave Friday as the Trump administration finalizes controversial plans to share taxpayer data with federal immigration authorities, according to three sources familiar with the matter.

The dozens of IRS employees who were placed on leave Friday evening saw their access to the agency’s computer systems immediately cut off, according to the sources. Some of the dozens of employees tried to go into the office Monday morning but were rebuffed, one source said.

The sidelining of IT officials comes as access to IRS data systems has been a point of contention between career federal employees and the Department of Government Efficiency, though it’s unclear if the employees were put on leave as part of downsizing or in connection with the data sharing disputes.

CNN reported last week that the IRS is close to reaching an unprecedented agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement to share location information of suspected undocumented immigrants as the administration works to ramp up deportations. That has sparked a legal battle over the information that’s typically confidential.

The so-called “separation email” sent Friday, which was obtained by CNN, didn’t include an explanation. The email stated their leave status was “effective immediately” and that “access to agency IT systems will be suspended, and you should not attempt to use them.”

A Treasury Department spokesperson confirmed the employees were placed on leave but denied it had anything to do with accessing IRS data for immigration enforcement: “As part of the Treasury Department and IRS leadership’s evaluation of the best way to improve the performance of the IRS and simultaneously reduce costs to taxpayers, 50 primarily non-technical personnel who were in technical decision-making roles were placed on temporary paid administrative leave.”

Two sources with knowledge of the situation told CNN they believe the IT employees may have been targeted for pushing back on some of the sensitive taxpayer data that DOGE is seeking as part of the deportation efforts. The source said some of DOGE’s requests have not been in line with the privacy and disclosure laws that impose strict rules for when IRS data can be shared.

“It is well known they (DOGE) are trying to get people out of the way who are ‘blockers,’” the source told CNN, using a phrase that DOGE members use for anyone perceived as getting in their way.

Another source – a former senior IRS official who has reviewed a list of the employees that were sidelined – said they all appeared to be involved in safeguarding private taxpayer data.

“They all have expertise in the IRS firewalls for what data can come in, and what can go out,” the former official told CNN. “And they’re all very vigilant about protecting that information.”

DOGE did not respond to a request for comment.

Millions of undocumented immigrants register with the IRS and pay billions of dollars in federal taxes each year. Individual taxpayer information is, by law, only supposed to be shared with other government agencies except in highly specific situations, often with a court order.

Two immigrant-rights groups filed a lawsuit this month seeking to block the IRS from providing taxpayer data to ICE or the Department of Homeland Security. A judge recently declined to issue an emergency order tying the IRS’ hands, but a hearing is scheduled for mid-April to determine whether an injunction is appropriate, now that the plans are more concrete.

“Front-lined IRS staff are trained in how to protect taxpayer privacy,” Nandan Joshi, a lawyer from Public Citizen who represents the immigrant groups, said in an email. “It’s troubling to hear that experts who could stand in the way of unlawful data sharing are being let go.”

Trump administration officials have said, including at a recent court hearing on the matter, that any cooperation or data-sharing between the IRS and ICE will fully comply with federal law.

Multiple sources said they’re worried about the vacuum created by sidelining these staffers.

“What is the impact? I don’t know. But it’s not no impact,” one source told CNN. “These were some of our top people. They are excellent cybersecurity people, now placed on leave.”

This latest slew of staffing moves comes amid a broader push within the IRS, and the entire Trump administration, to shrink the size of the federal government. CNN previously reported that the IRS is possibly facing up to a 20% staffing reduction, with more cuts expected soon.

This story has been updated with comment from the Treasury Department.

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