As the Trump administration increases pressure on federal agencies to support immigration enforcement, the IRS is considering a plan that would let ICE confirm where targeted illegal immigrants live by checking addresses submitted on tax returns.
The draft arrangement would not allow ICE to browse tax filings or access databases directly. Instead, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem or Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons would submit individual names, addresses and removal order dates to the IRS, which would then confirm whether those addresses match what is in the tax system.
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 proposal comes after the IRS replaced its chief counsel and acting commissioner. Both had opposed sharing tax data with other agencies. The former commissioner, Doug O’Donnell, rejected a Department of Homeland Security request to verify data for 700,000 individuals, citing legal boundaries. He stepped down shortly afterward, and his successor, Melanie Krause, is reportedly more open to cooperation.
🚨🇺🇸 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
Roughly half of the country’s illegal immigrant population is believed to file taxes with the IRS using an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. The agency has long claimed this information would remain confidential, and its policies have encouraged illegal immigrants to report income without fear of being deported.
Portions of the draft agreement, as reviewed by The Washington Post, show that ICE would only be allowed to request verification for people with active removal orders. The data could only be used in cases involving immigration law violations.
The IRS previously declined similar cooperation proposals over concerns that such actions could misuse narrow exceptions in federal privacy law. Some career staff are reportedly still opposed, arguing the agreement stretches the law beyond what it was intended to allow.
The Department of Homeland Security has also reassigned employees to focus more of their time on tracking down individuals already flagged for removal from the country.
