IRS, ICE near data-sharing agreement to verify migrant addresses, legal status

• The IRS and ICE are close to finalizing a data-sharing agreement to verify addresses of immigrants suspected of living in the U.S. illegally. ICE could submit names and addresses to the IRS, which would cross-check them with confidential taxpayer databases to confirm individuals’ home addresses.
• The agreement stipulates that requests could only come from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem or acting ICE Director Todd Lyons.
• Workers who are residing in the country without proper documentation are subject to the same tax withholding and reporting requirements as U.S. residents.

Full Story

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are nearing a data-sharing agreement, The Washington Post reports. Under the draft agreement, ICE could provide the IRS with names and addresses of immigrants suspected of living in the country illegally, to cross-check against confidential taxpayer databases.

The IRS would verify if immigration officials have the correct addresses for individuals ordered to leave the U.S. The agreement stipulates that requests could only come from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem or acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, and must include the individual’s name, address, removal order date, and other identifying information for identity verification.

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Current data verification laws

Under current law, the IRS releases data verification for individuals “subject to criminal investigation” for immigration law violations. Under Section 6103 of the federal tax code, the IRS is required to keep taxpayer information confidential, with some exceptions, including at the request of law enforcement.

Workers who live in the country without proper documentation are subject to the same tax withholding and reporting requirements as U.S. residents. The 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act granted legal status to migrants who lived in the country illegally and paid back taxes.

According to the Bipartisan Policy Center, immigrants contributed $25.7 billion in Social Security taxes using borrowed or fraudulent Social Security numbers.

Last month, IRS leadership rejected a Department of Homeland Security request for the names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses of 700,000 individuals.