US homeland chief seeks to deputize IRS agents for immigration enforcement

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to deputize some Internal Revenue Service agents for immigration enforcement tasks. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent requesting assistance with human trafficking and illegal hiring.

DHS believes the Department of Treasury has qualified personnel to support immigration enforcement due to the IRS’s increased workforce. The memo indicates that this move may divert resources from the IRS’s tax enforcement duties. The Trump administration is taking the approach that all of the government can help with its mass deportation effort, and that includes the IRS.