The new immigration policy established in the United States, starting with the mandate of President Donald Trump, has added a new member in the implementation of various strategies aimed at stopping and deporting thousands of immigrants daily: the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
According to information provided by the The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) allegedly requested the cooperation of the Department of the Treasury, through the criminal investigations division of the IRS-CI, with the intention of adding new tools in the enforcement of immigration laws.
The request, made by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, would seek to incorporate the expertise of agents in financial investigations aiming to control illegal immigration by searching for immigrants who have evaded taxes or failed to comply with any tax obligations in order to deport them.
ICE strengthens its actions against immigrants
The same information points out that this measure seeks to fulfill Donald Trump's commitment to involve various government agencies in carrying out the enforcement of immigration laws.
IRS-CI agents have managed to identify, according to official figures, over 2 billion dollars in tax fraud as well as 7 billion dollars in financial crimes in just the last year.
Therefore, and according to Noem, the skills and experience of agents from this division could be of great help to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in order to put an end to illicit activities linked to irregular immigration.
As reported, Noem also acknowledged to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent that the capabilities of IRS-CI agents could strengthen immigration operations by locating immigrant individuals who have engaged in tax evasion or other irregularities in their tax filings.
Part of the new regulations for evaluating a person's stay in U.S. territory, immigration judges consider the individual's tax history to assess a deportation cancellation request.
Following these measures, immigration experts have called on all individuals, regardless of their immigration status, to regulate their tax situation through the appropriate channels and institutions.
In addition, lawyers have pointed out that this possible measure could violate what is established in section 6103 of the Internal Revenue Code, which states that the IRS has a policy of not providing information to ICE or other agencies except in specific criminal investigations. This law also aims to protect taxpayers' privacy.
*This article has been translated automatically using artificial intelligence