A new agreement in the works between the IRS and ICE could give immigration agents a powerful tool — access to verified address information from tax filings — to track down illegal immigrants who have been ordered to leave the country.
According to reports, the proposed deal would let the IRS confirm whether ICE has the right address for a particular individual already facing deportation. IRS agents would not release tax returns but would verify address details if a formal request is submitted. Only top officials, such as DHS Secretary Kristi Noem or Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, could make those 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 move follows changes in IRS leadership. Doug O’Donnell, who had blocked a major data request from DHS, retired shortly after denying access to records tied to 700,000 suspected illegal immigrants. Melanie Krause, his replacement, is reportedly more willing to cooperate.
While illegal immigrants are not eligible for Social Security numbers, the IRS issues a separate taxpayer identification number to those who work and file taxes. Many of their returns contain extensive personal details, including addresses, earnings and places of employment.
🚨🇺🇸 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 inside the IRS warn that the proposed cooperation may stretch the boundaries of a legal loophole meant for criminal investigations. The agency has long promised confidentiality to encourage illegal immigrants to file taxes.
The Trump administration also removed the IRS’s top attorney, who had opposed earlier efforts to use taxpayer data for immigration enforcement. The new proposal reportedly avoids handing over broad files and focuses instead on confirming specific address information already held by ICE.
The IRS has previously been asked to support immigration enforcement through business audits, including cases where employers were suspected of hiring unauthorized workers.
