The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) have reached an agreement that will allow ICE to access taxpayer information in order to discover illegal immigrants who are facing deportation.
The Trump administration filed a memorandum of understanding with a court late Monday to establish safeguards and a process for ICE requests to the IRS to conduct additional investigations of criminal illegal immigrants who fail or refuse to leave the United States 90 days after a judge issues a final order of removal.
“The Internal Revenue Service and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement have entered into a memorandum of understanding to establish a clear and secure process to support law enforcement’s efforts to combat illegal immigration,” a Treasury Department spokesperson told in a statement to Fox News.
🚨 SCOOP 🚨
DHS is asking IRS to locate **7 MILLION** suspected undocumented immigrants using confidential tax records.
It’s a massive escalation by DHS to use the tax system for mass deportation.
IRS officials are aghast, say it’s likely illegal.
Link in thread ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/s9k9TSXvdr
— (((Jacob Bogage))) (@jacobbogage) April 5, 2025
“The bases for this MOU are founded in longstanding authorities granted by Congress, which serve to protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans while streamlining the ability to pursue criminals,” the statement said. “After four years of Joe Biden flooding the nation with illegal aliens, President Trump’s highest priority is to ensure the safety of the American people.”
A senior Treasury Department official stated that the illegal immigrants were given due process but overstayed 90 days after a judge’s deportation order. According to the person, the MOU provides a framework for protecting sensitive taxpayer data while allowing law enforcement to prosecute criminal infractions.
The Treasury Department is devoted to protecting the privacy of law-abiding taxpayers, but a criminal exemption requires the agency to help law enforcement, according to a top official.
The Washington Post reported last month on a proposed deal that would limit ICE’s ability to check the addresses of illegal immigrants with final removal orders.
The agreement would allow ICE to send the names and addresses of illegal immigrants to the IRS, which would then cross-check their tax records and give the immigration agency with current address information.
The IRS is nearing an agreement to allow immigration officials to use tax data to confirm the names and addresses of people suspected of being in the country illegally.
The IRS has for years reassured undocumented workers that their tax info is confidential and that it’s safe to…
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) March 23, 2025
Some experienced IRS officers have raised alarm, claiming that the restricted exclusion was intended solely for criminal investigations, not immigration enforcement. They are also concerned that the strategy will impede tax collection from illegal immigrants, who are nonetheless responsible for federal taxes despite being in the country unlawfully.
The agreement comes as President Donald Trump has continued to scale up the deportation effort he vowed during the campaign, aiming to use every available resource to assist immigration officials.
