In early 2025, the Trump administration proposed leveraging Internal Revenue Service (IRS) data to locate undocumented immigrants for deportation, marking a significant shift in immigration enforcement strategy. This initiative, detailed in a March 2025 Washington Post report, involves a data-sharing agreement between the IRS and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Under this plan, ICE would access tax records to verify names and addresses of individuals with final removal orders, exploiting a legal exception in 26 U.S.C. § 6103 that permits disclosure for criminal investigations. The administration aims to expedite deportations, targeting an estimated 1.4 million people, as part of Trump’s broader immigration crackdown launched via executive orders in January 2025.
Critics, including immigrant advocates, warn this breaches decades of IRS assurances that tax data remains confidential, potentially deterring undocumented workers—who paid $96.7 billion in taxes in 2022—from filing returns. The proposal has sparked internal IRS resistance, with officials citing privacy violations under federal law, and legal challenges are underway to block it. Acting IRS commissioner Melanie Krause reportedly plans to resign over the new data-sharing agreement.
Citations:
- The Washington Post, “IRS nears deal with ICE to share addresses of suspected undocumented immigrants,” March 22, 2025; 26 U.S.C. § 6103
- Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, “Undocumented Immigrants’ Tax Contributions,” 2023
- The Hill, “Acting IRS commissioner resigning following data-sharing deal.” April 8, 2025.
