Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is close to making a deal with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to allow access to tax data provided by illegal immigrants.
According to The Washington Post, there have been “weeks of negotiations” thus far.
Under the draft agreement being considered, ICE would be able to submit names and addresses of suspected illegals to the IRS to cross-reference with confidential databases, sources confirmed.
Normally, tax information, including names and addresses, is considered confidential. Unlawfully disclosing tax information carries civil and criminal penalties.
“However, tax information may be shared with other federal law enforcement under certain, limited conditions — and typically with approval from a court,” The Post Notes.
“It would be unusual, if not unprecedented, for taxpayer privacy law exceptions to be used to justify cooperation with immigration enforcement.”
The requests would have to be submitted directly by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem or Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons.
It’s estimated that around 50% of all illegal aliens in the US are paying taxes to the IRS. In 1999, the IRS encouraged illegal aliens to obtain individual taxpayer identification numbers and to pay tax, on the promise that their data would not be shared with immigration authorities. The move was part of a broader effort to ensure tax compliance among those who are ineligible for a social-security number.