Internal Revenue Service agrees to send immigrant tax data to ICE for enforcement
By FATIMA HUSSEIN WASHINGTON AP The Internal Revenue Facility has agreed to share immigrants tax evidence with Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the purpose of identifying and deporting people illegally in the U S according to a document signed by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Department of Homeland Guard Secretary Kristi Noem The new data-sharing arrangement was signed on Monday in the form of a memorandum of understanding unveiled in federal court filings and will allow ICE to submit names and addresses of immigrants inside the U S illegally to the IRS for cross-verification against tax records Treasury argues that the agreement will help carry out President Donald Trump s agenda to secure U S borders and is part of his larger nationwide immigration crackdown which has resulted in deportations workplace raids and the use of an th century wartime law to deport Venezuelan immigrants Advocates however say the IRS-DHS information sharing agreement violates longstanding privacy laws and diminishes the privacy of all Americans The basis for the agreement is founded in longstanding officers granted by Congress which serve to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans while streamlining the ability to pursue criminals mentioned a Treasury official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to explain the agency s thinking on the agreement The IRS had already been called upon once to help with immigration enforcement earlier this year Related Articles Supreme Court allows Trump to deport Venezuelans under wartime law but only after judges review Immigration crackdowns disrupt the caregiving industry Families pay the price Texas county that swung to Trump grapples with immigration crackdown after bakery is targeted Chief Justice Roberts pauses deadline for return of Maryland man mistakenly deported to El Salvador Immigration Status of a Duke Basketball Star From South Sudan Is Unclear Noem in February sent a request to Bessent to borrow IRS Criminal Research workers to help with the immigration crackdown according to a letter obtained by The Associated Press It cites the IRS boost in funding though the billion infusion of funds the federal tax collection agency received under the Democrats Inflation Reduction Act has already been clawed back A collection of tax law experts for the NYU Tax Law Center wrote Monday that the IRS-DHS agreement threatens to violate the rights that various more Americans have under longstanding laws that protect their tax information from wrongful disclosure or dissemination In fact it is hard to see how the IRS could release information to DHS while complying with taxpayer privacy statutes they commented IRS functionaries who sign off on records sharing under these circumstances hazard latest the law which could product in criminal and civil sanctions The memo states that the IRS and ICE will perform their duties in a manner that recognizes and enhances individuals right of privacy and will ensure their engagements are consistent with laws regulations and good administrative practices Representatives from DHS and ICE did not instantly respond to a request for comment
