The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has requested that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent deputize Internal Revenue Service (IRS) criminal investigators and other Treasury personnel to assist with immigration enforcement, according to Reuters. In a February 7 letter, new DHS Secretary Kristi Noem outlined tasks such as investigating human trafficking networks, targeting employers hiring undocumented workers, and aiding with detentions and deportations.
In Noem’s letter sent to Bessent requesting the help, she wrote, “It is DHS’s understanding that the Department of the Treasury has qualified law enforcement personnel available to assist with immigration enforcement especially in light of recent increases to the Internal Revenue Service’s work force and budget.”
Noem also posted on X about the matter writing, “Instead of having Biden’s 87,000 IRS agents take more money from Americans, I have requested that they help taxpayers SAVE money by helping ICE round up criminal illegal aliens for deportation.”
This move is part of President Donald Trump’s broader immigration crackdown, which involves reallocating resources from various federal agencies to support immigration enforcement efforts. Some agents have reportedly been redirected to focus on the initiative bringing in the other agencies to help with the enormous task of rooting out illegal immigration problems.
Immigration was a top issue for American voters who elected Trump for his tough stance on border security, which struggled under the Biden administration, and illegal immigration, which thrived under the previous administration.
The IRS’s criminal investigators, which are typically focused on financial crimes like money laundering and corruption, would assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in building complex cases combining tax and immigration violations. Critics of the plan argue that this could divert resources from the IRS’s primary tax enforcement duties.
Also criticized, however, is the Biden administration which Republicans have called out for “planned investments of some $60 billion into the IRS over a decade to improve collections of taxes owed and increase audits.” An effort to overhaul the agency has been introduced with Republican House representatives suggesting the agency be abolished and the nation’s tax code rewritten.
Thank you for visiting