Federal officials are finalizing a plan that would allow ICE to cross-check the home addresses of illegal immigrants with IRS tax records. The move would give ICE the ability to verify whether the locations they have for individuals already marked for deportation match what the IRS has on file.
For years, the IRS resisted such cooperation, warning that it could violate federal law that bars the disclosure of taxpayer data. But the current proposal avoids handing over full records. Instead, it would permit the IRS to confirm whether ICE’s address matches the one listed in tax filings. Only individuals with final removal orders would be eligible for such checks.
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’s push to increase deportations has led to renewed pressure on federal agencies to collaborate. ICE would be required to submit detailed information — including names, addresses and removal dates — for each person they want verified. Requests could only come from DHS Secretary Kristi Noem or Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons.
Roughly half of the illegal immigrants believed to be in the U.S. file income tax returns, encouraged by past promises from the IRS that their personal data would not be shared with immigration enforcement. They typically use a nine-digit number called an ITIN to file.
🚨🇺🇸 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
The proposal comes after a leadership shake-up inside the IRS. Doug O’Donnell, who had served nearly four decades with the agency, rejected a request from DHS for data on 700,000 suspected illegal immigrants. He retired the following day. His replacement, Melanie Krause, is seen as more open to working with immigration officials.
Portions of the draft agreement suggest that address confirmations would be limited to individuals “subject to criminal investigation” under immigration laws.
A previous attempt by Homeland Security to enlist IRS help involved asking agents to audit companies suspected of employing undocumented workers.
