What they should write: IRS Acting Commissioner Resigning Over Deal To Send Illegal Immigrant Tax Data To ICE
The IRS Acting Commissioner, Melanie Krause, is resigning over a deal to send tax data of illegal immigrants to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The agreement, signed on April 7, 2025, by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, allows ICE to submit names and addresses of immigrants suspected of being in the U.S. illegally for cross-verification against IRS tax records. This is aimed at identifying and deporting illegal immigrants as part of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement push.
There’s no indication in the available information that this deal involves tax data of legal immigrants (those with lawful status, such as green card holders or visa holders). The focus is specifically on illegal immigrants, many of whom file taxes using Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) despite their lack of legal status. The controversy stems from the shift in IRS policy, which historically kept such data confidential, and the ethical and legal concerns raised by sharing it with ICE for deportation purposes. Krause’s resignation reflects her discomfort with this policy direction, though exact details of her reasoning remain speculative based on anonymous sources.
Why don’t news outlets call them illegal immigrants in their headlines?
