Last Friday, Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent asking him to designate Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Special Agents to be deputized to assist with deportations and Homeland Security investigations into human trafficking, smuggling, and illegal hiring practices. Specifically, Secretary Noem wants the IRS Special Agents to partner with “Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to conduct employer investigations to include conducting financial audits of businesses suspected of employing illegal immigrants and building criminal investigations for prosecution against employers violating tax and labor laws.” Noem also wants the IRS agents to help “ICE leverage forfeiture laws to seize properties, vehicles, and funds tied to immigration-related offense such as harboring illegal aliens or operating illegal businesses.”
