Filing Taxes in the U.S. Feels Like a Deportation Ticket, Fear Undocumented Immigrants

Undocumented immigrants fear tax filings.

IRS alliance with ICE sparks concern.

Could filing lead to deportation?

For years, María Ramírez—like millions of undocumented immigrants—has filed her taxes as a way to prove her contributions to the United States. But now, she feels distressed that doing the right thing could turn into a one-way ticket to deportation.

The immigrant’s anxiety intensified last week when the administration of President Donald Trump signed an agreement between the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), allowing immigration authorities access to the data of certain taxpayers.

Although the agreement states that DHS will submit the names and addresses of taxpayers with outstanding deportation orders to the IRS for verification, the pact has triggered widespread alarm.

Activists and Democratic lawmakers argue that the agreement could be the first step toward granting immigration authorities access to taxpayer information without a court order, as is currently required by law.

Immigrants Afraid to File Taxes

Undocumented immigrants fear tax filings – Photo: Shutterstock

“This agreement is a complete betrayal of the federal government’s decades-long promise not to use taxpayer information for political purposes,” complained California Senator Alex Padilla.

DHS sources, quoted by The Washington Post, said they would initially submit preliminary requests involving about 2 million taxpayers—and would later seek help locating 7 million people.

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Locating undocumented immigrants who file taxes is theoretically easy since most use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) issued by the IRS. Organizations like Make the Road New York are now urging immigrants to consult with experts before submitting their returns.

Ramírez, who has used her ITIN for over two decades, regrets not waiting until the April 15 tax deadline to speak with a lawyer before submitting her information again.

“Like every year, I filed my taxes early. Now they know where I work, where I live… it’s really distressing,” she told EFE.

That same fear of filing taxes is shared by clients of immigration attorney Alex Gálvez, who says his office has been flooded with calls. “My advice is not to include your home address in your tax filing—use a P.O. Box instead. That way you meet your IRS obligation without exposing personal information,” he told EFE.

The controversy surrounding the agreement grew so intense that Melanie Krause, who had served as the IRS’s acting director, resigned after the deal was announced. According to CNN, Krause had participated in reviewing the agreement, but the final version reportedly differed from what had been initially approved.

Krause was the third person to lead the IRS since January, after interim commissioner Doug O’Donnell stepped down for refusing to sign the agreement.

The concern isn’t limited to undocumented immigrants. State and federal revenues may also take a hit under this policy.

In 2022 alone, undocumented immigrants paid approximately $100 billion in federal, state, and local taxes.

“This rollback of IRS confidentiality precedent will only generate more fear in our immigrant communities and reduce the likelihood that undocumented people will file their taxes,” warned Senator Padilla.

“That could cost the states and the federal government billions in lost tax revenue.”

Last week, a group of Democratic senators—including Padilla—urged the Treasury Department’s Inspector General to investigate whether the Trump administration is violating taxpayer privacy laws by sharing protected data with ICE.

This is the same claim made by two immigrant advocacy organizations in a federal lawsuit seeking to block the agreement between the IRS and ICE.

Meanwhile, Ramírez says the damage is already done, according to the EFE news agency.

“What they want is to wear us down and scare us so much that we leave. It’s sad to see how this country no longer values us—but during the pandemic, we were essential,” said the cleaning worker.

Undocumented immigrants fear filing taxes.