The IRS is weighing a plan to assist immigration agents in locating illegal immigrants already ordered to leave the country by confirming whether addresses on record match those found on tax forms. The cooperation would represent a shift for an agency that has long protected taxpayer confidentiality.
If approved, the agreement would let the IRS confirm addresses submitted by ICE without providing broader tax information. Each request would include a name, address and date of deportation. Only Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem or Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons could make such requests.
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) raked in a record $4.9 trillion in taxes from Americans in the last fiscal year, per the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.
— unusual_whales (@unusual_whales) January 8, 2024
The Trump administration has long sought to involve the IRS in immigration enforcement. In the past, the agency refused over legal concerns, with then-Acting Commissioner Doug O’Donnell turning down a major request involving hundreds of thousands of names. He retired the next day. His replacement, Melanie Krause, is reportedly more supportive of interagency cooperation.
Roughly 50% of illegal immigrants file tax returns with the IRS each year, often using an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number issued by the agency. These returns list home addresses and job details. For decades, the IRS promised that such information would remain private, even for those in the country illegally.
🚨🇺🇸 IRS NEARING DEAL TO SHARE TAX DATA WITH ICE FOR IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT
The IRS is close to finalizing a data-sharing agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), allowing immigration agents access to confidential taxpayer records to aid Trump’s… https://t.co/IUo23cMDvv pic.twitter.com/9siwDZeUNX
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) March 23, 2025
Critics within the agency warn that the legal basis for this cooperation may not apply in civil immigration cases. The law typically allows sharing tax data for criminal investigations, and internal discussions suggest that pushing past those limits could be risky.
The deal also comes after the Trump administration replaced the IRS’s top legal officer. The previous chief counsel had objected to sharing tax data, creating another roadblock that has now been removed.
In past years, Homeland Security has also tried to work with the IRS to investigate businesses suspected of employing illegal immigrants.
