The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is close to formalizing an agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the Department of Homeland Security to verify addresses of immigrants who have received deportation orders.
This agreement would allow the tax agency to confirm whether the address data provided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials is accurate, marking a significant shift in the use of protected tax information to support the mass deportation policies pushed by the administration of President Donald Trump.
The IRS would not directly hand over taxpayer information but would instead limit itself to verifying whether the addresses provided by ICE match tax records.
This approach is more limited than previous requests made by the Department of Homeland Security, which sought direct access to immigrants’ data. However, the measure continues to raise concerns due to strict federal laws protecting the confidentiality of tax information.
Collection of Immigrant Data
The IRS has historically been one of the few government agencies that regularly interacts with undocumented immigrants. Many of them file tax returns using an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), a nine-digit code that allows them to meet their tax obligations despite not having a Social Security number. This system has enabled the IRS to gather detailed information on the income, employers, families, and addresses of millions of people living in the country without legal status.
Over the years, the IRS has encouraged undocumented immigrants to pay taxes, assuring them that their information would be protected by strict confidentiality laws. However, as reported by the New York newspaper, the Trump administration pressured the agency to use this information in its mass deportation campaign, creating tensions within the tax agency. In the past, IRS officials had resisted such requests, arguing that sharing tax data could violate federal laws.
Changes in IRS Leadership
The landscape shifted after the Trump administration appointed a new chief counsel at the IRS. This change in leadership appears to have facilitated negotiations for the agreement with ICE. While the terms are still being finalized, the current agreement is more limited than initial requests, which sought direct access to immigrants’ tax records.
The outlet also reported that the Department of Homeland Security has repeatedly attempted to involve the IRS in its efforts to combat undocumented immigration. These initiatives include requests for audits of companies that may be hiring undocumented workers, a strategy aimed at discouraging the employment of individuals without legal authorization to work in the country.
Image: Infobae
