Melanie Krause, the acting commissioner of the IRS, is resigning due to a new data-sharing agreement signed by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. This agreement allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to share immigrants’ tax data with the IRS to identify and deport those in the U.S. illegally. The IRS has been facing backlash over sharing taxpayer data, leading to the resignation of other officials like Douglas O’Donnell and William Paul in recent months.
The Treasury Department claims that this agreement is part of President Trump’s agenda to secure U.S. borders and crack down on immigration. However, advocates argue that this agreement violates privacy laws and compromises the privacy of all Americans. The Center for Democracy and Technology warns that sharing immigrant tax records with DHS could discourage tax compliance, weaken contributions to public programs, and set a dangerous precedent for data privacy abuse.
Despite concerns over privacy, ICE Director Todd Lyons believes that the agreement will help identify individuals who are collecting benefits they are not entitled to using someone else’s identity. The IRS had previously been asked to assist with immigration enforcement earlier this year.
Experts at the NYU Tax Law Center argue that the IRS-DHS agreement may violate taxpayer privacy laws and raise concerns about potential criminal and civil sanctions for officials involved in the data sharing. The memo states that the IRS and ICE will work to respect individuals’ right to privacy and ensure compliance with all applicable laws and regulations.
Note: The image is for illustrative purposes only and is not the original image associated with the presented article. Due to copyright reasons, we are unable to use the original images. However, you can still enjoy the accurate and up-to-date content and information provided.
