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3471Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is sounding the alarm after a new agreement allows the IRS to share tax information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a move she says will harm not just undocumented immigrants, but all working Americans.
In a widely shared post on X, Ocasio-Cortez wrote, “The cruel spree to terrorize immigrants screws over ALL working Americans. Undocumented people pay BILLIONS into Medicare, social sec, & programs they are ineligible for. Hunting them also craters the social safety net. This is how the billionaire class divides and conquers.”
She argued that while undocumented immigrants contribute significantly to public funds through taxes, they are barred from benefiting from the very programs they help sustain.
IRS Agreement Sparks Resignation, Legal Concerns
The agreement between the IRS and ICE, signed by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, allows ICE to submit names and addresses of undocumented immigrants for cross-referencing with IRS tax records.
The goal, according to the Trump administration, is to identify individuals in the U.S. illegally for potential deportation.
This decision triggered the resignation of Acting IRS Commissioner Melanie Krause, who had only taken over the role in February.
Her exit marks the second major leadership change at the agency in recent months. Her predecessor, Douglas O’Donnell, also stepped down amid growing tensions surrounding the IRS’s role in immigration enforcement.
Critics of the agreement argue it violates taxpayer privacy laws and may result in unintended consequences, such as discouraging immigrants from filing tax returns altogether.
Tom Bowman, policy counsel for the Center for Democracy and Technology, warned, “This will discourage tax compliance among immigrant communities, weaken contributions to essential public programs, and increase burdens for U.S. citizens and nonimmigrant taxpayers.”
Legal scholars at the NYU Tax Law Center added that the deal could open IRS officials up to legal consequences.
“IRS officials who sign off on data sharing under these circumstances risk breaking the law, which could result in criminal and civil sanctions,” they stated.
A Divisive Debate Online
The announcement ignited heated discussion online. Supporters of Ocasio-Cortez pointed to the economic reality that undocumented immigrants do pay into federal systems, often through payroll deductions or using Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs).
“It’s quite unfortunate that the other side don’t appreciate the significance of immigrants in building our economy and contributing to these programs,” one user wrote.
Others, however, challenged the logistics of how undocumented immigrants contribute to programs like Social Security.
“If they’re undocumented, how do they have a SSN to pay into it?” a user asked. In response, some clarified that many use ITINs or may work under false documentation while still contributing to payroll taxes.
Some critics accused Ocasio-Cortez of effectively advocating for ignoring immigration law.
“So your basic position is that, once illegal aliens manage to sneak in and elude consequences for a period of time, they should just be left alone,” one commenter said.
Meanwhile, legal immigrants also weighed in, sharing stories of long waits and extensive vetting processes. “The process was so long that my parents’ application was filed a year before I was born,” wrote one user.
ICE and Treasury Defend the Deal
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons spoke at the Border Security Expo in Phoenix, defending the new agreement. He said it targets people who may be collecting public benefits fraudulently or using stolen identities.
Working with Treasury and other departments is “strictly for the major criminal cases,” he said.
The Treasury Department also stood by the deal, saying it operates within “longstanding authorities granted by Congress,” and is designed to “protect the privacy of law-abiding Americans while streamlining the ability to pursue criminals.”
But advocates argue that the broader impact could be widespread, affecting not just undocumented immigrants but also legal residents and even citizens who may feel less inclined to interact with government systems.
According to a letter obtained by the Associated Press, Noem had already requested IRS support for immigration enforcement in February.
That letter mentioned using IRS Criminal Investigation workers and referenced the agency’s increased funding under the Inflation Reduction Act, which has since been reduced.
The IRS and ICE memo states that both agencies “will perform their duties in a manner that recognizes and enhances individuals’ right of privacy,” but critics are not convinced.
For Ocasio-Cortez and others, the move represents a larger strategy to undermine solidarity among working-class Americans by turning them against immigrants.
For now, the debate continues, with the IRS facing internal upheaval, privacy experts raising red flags, and public discourse growing more divided over what role the agency should play in immigration enforcement.
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