For years, Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, have criticized the IRS and its armed agents. However, the Trump administration now has different plans for them—helping with immigration enforcement.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem recently sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, asking to use IRS agents for immigration-related tasks. This request focuses on IRS Criminal Investigation agents, who are trained law enforcement officers that handle fraud, trafficking, and other financial crimes. Noem believes these agents could assist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in monitoring undocumented immigrants and targeting businesses that hire them illegally.
This request marks a shift in the Republican stance. In the past, GOP members have falsely claimed that the IRS planned to hire 87,000 armed agents to target middle-class Americans. In reality, the IRS’s Criminal Investigation unit had just over 2,100 special agents in 2023, compared to the agency’s total workforce of around 89,000 employees. Unlike regular IRS workers, these agents carry firearms and investigate serious financial crimes.
Trump hinted at this plan during a speech in January, saying that he was considering either firing IRS employees or moving them to the border to assist with immigration enforcement.
Experts say this request is unusual and could lead to a significant loss in tax revenue. While federal employees have been reassigned to different roles in past administrations, tax experts argue that shifting IRS agents to immigration work is a dramatic change. Donald Williamson, a former director at American University’s Kogod Tax Center, called the move “extraordinary.” He pointed out that IRS agents specialize in financial crimes, not immigration enforcement.
“They have experience auditing businesses, but this is a major redirection of their work,” Williamson said.
Chloe East, an immigration policy expert at the Brookings Institution, warned that taking IRS agents away from tax enforcement could cost the government billions in lost revenue. She also noted that Trump’s immigration policies, including the recent passage of the Laken Riley Act, require more officers at the border.
“The administration is prioritizing immigration crackdowns over catching money launderers and tax cheats,” East said.
So far, the IRS Criminal Investigation unit and the Treasury Department have not commented on the request.
