WASHINGTON — The IRS is nearing a data-sharing agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that would allow immigration officials to use tax data to support the Trump administration’s deportation agenda, two sources familiar with the matter told ABC News.
After weeks of negotiations, administration officials are close to reaching an agreement that would enable ICE officials to submit names and addresses of suspected immigrants lacking legal status for the IRS to check against its confidential databases.
The Washington Post first reported the development on Saturday.
The use of sensitive taxpayer information to further the Trump administration’s immigration policies has alarmed career officials within the IRS.
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Section 6103 of the federal tax code requires the IRS to keep individual taxpayer information confidential with certain limited exceptions, which includes law enforcement agencies “for investigation and prosecution of non-tax criminal laws” with approval from a court, according to the agency’s website.
The IRS has allowed immigrants without legal status to file income tax returns with individual tax numbers, or ITINs. These immigrants contributed $25.7 billion in Social Security taxes using borrowed or fraudulent Social Security numbers, according to the Bipartisan Policy Center.
The IRS and Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment from ABC News on the agreement, which is still being negotiated and has not been finalized, according to sources.
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