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IRS criminal investigators in Chicago being ‘deputized' as immigration enforcers under Trump administration plan

IRS criminal investigators in Chicago being ‘deputized' as immigration enforcers under Trump administration plan

Chicago Tribune14-05-2025

The Trump administration's refocusing of federal resources on immigration has landed at the Chicago office of the IRS's criminal investigation bureau, where agents accustomed to working complex financial cases are now being prepared for unprecedented special assignments to help track down undocumented immigrants, a memo obtained by the Tribune shows.
The communication sent to staff this week by Ramsey Covington, special agent in charge of the IRS-Criminal Investigation's Chicago field office, said he was still 'working to get legal advice/clarification' on the situation, but that as many as a dozen Chicago-based agents were expected to be detailed to the Department of Homeland Security's local immigration efforts for up to six months.
The plan to 'deputize' IRS agents, which was first revealed in February in a leaked letter from Department of Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem, is uncharted territory and comes with several snags, including that IRS agents are not trained on federal immigration issues, often referred to as 'Title 8,' and could potentially face civil lawsuits if they overstep their authority.
The memo from Covington sought to allay any fears in the ranks, though he acknowledged the situation was 'fluid' and he was still seeking clarification from the Department of Justice on his office's exact role. No agents would be put in the field without proper clearance, Covington assured.
'Our expectation is that employees will be trained on Title 8 prior to participating in any action under that authority,' the memo stated. 'This may be coordinated at the field office level, and we are still gathering information on this.'
Marcus Johnson, a spokesman for the IRS Criminal Investigation, Chicago Field Office, would not confirm any internal communications with staff, but said the office 'will comply with all directives from the Department of Treasury leadership.'
Messages left with the Treasury and Homeland Security departments were not immediately returned Wednesday.
As an arm of the Treasury Department, the IRS is responsible for the collection of taxes and enforcement of related laws, but agents with the criminal investigation division do important, often-unheralded work uncovering large-scale drug trafficking, money-laundering and fraud schemes.
In Chicago, where there are about 60 IRS special agents working downtown and in the suburbs, the IRS has been particularly effective in public corruption cases, including the blockbuster investigations of former Govs. George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich as well as ex-Ald. Edward Burke and former House Speaker Michael Madigan.
In his first months in office, President Donald Trump has marshaled resources from across the federal government to help enforce his strict immigration and deportation policies, enlisting agencies like the Treasury Department that typically had no role in immigration enforcement.
On Feb. 7, Noem sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to request agents to help dig into human trafficking networks, find businesses hiring workers in the U.S. illegally, and assist with other immigration-related tasks, according to reports from multiple news agencies, including Reuters.
'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 said in the letter, which was reviewed by Reuters.
More recently, a 'memorandum of understanding' was struck allowing DHS to ask the IRS to confirm the home addresses of illegal immigrants suspected of violating deportation orders. As part of the deal, the IRS can share data to aid criminal investigations but is prohibited from sharing information related to civil matters, such as facilitating deportations.
The issue has raised alarms among Democrats in Congress and led to several lawsuits, including one filed in Washington D.C. by the Illinois-based immigrant-rights groups Centro de Trabajadores Unidos and Immigrant Solidarity DuPage claiming DHS was 'seeking access to taxpayer information to identify, locate and remove illegal immigrants,' in violation of federal law.
Earlier this week, a federal judge denied a motion for a preliminary injunction, saying the deal between DHS and IRS on its face says the information could only be used against 'persons subject to criminal investigation.'
'At its core, this case presents a narrow legal issue: Does the Memorandum of Understanding between the IRS and DHS violate the Internal Revenue Code? It does not,' U.S. District Judge Dabney Freidrich wrote in her ruling Monday.
In his note to local Chicago agents, meanwhile, Covington said the general objectives will be to assist with locating children separated from family members, detention and deportation efforts and 'locating gang targets (investigative/possibly financial in nature).'
The memo directed agents to 'NOT share tax information as part of these efforts.'
'The information sharing between IRS and ICE is being handled through a separate (Memorandum of Understanding) and attorneys with ICE and IRS counsel,' the memo stated.
The memo said the exact timing of the operation was still in flux but 'we anticipate employees should be prepared to begin assistance in the next couple of weeks.'
Employees were instructed to fill out an Immigration Assistance spreadsheet by Tuesday if they would like to volunteer for the assignment.
'This support is in response to the request made by the DHS Secretary to the Treasury Secretary several months ago,' the memo stated. 'This remains fluid and we are being asked to remain patient and flexible.'
jmeisner@chicagotribune.com
rlong@chicagotribune.com

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Trump and Hegseth to visit Fort Bragg as they send troops to Los Angeles
Trump and Hegseth to visit Fort Bragg as they send troops to Los Angeles

CBS News

time11 minutes ago

  • CBS News

Trump and Hegseth to visit Fort Bragg as they send troops to Los Angeles

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CartCon 2025: Tariffs, turbulence and the future of resilient retail
CartCon 2025: Tariffs, turbulence and the future of resilient retail

Yahoo

time11 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

CartCon 2025: Tariffs, turbulence and the future of resilient retail

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Originally designed as a tool for national security sanctions, IEEPA has been repurposed by the Trump administration to enact sweeping tariffs with little congressional oversight. Manning described the legal and logistical chaos for businesses from these tactics. In just six weeks, the Trump administration issued 17 executive orders using IEEPA authority, stripping trade policy of its usual predictability and process. For businesses, this has been catastrophic. Sourcing strategies built over years have unraveled in days. 'We're in a volatile environment,' Manning said. The cost of doing business now includes factoring in the potential for abrupt, unexplained swings in tariff exposure. Long-term investments have become high-risk bets, and in many cases, they're simply not being made. On-the-ground retail strategy Bringing the policy talk down to the warehouse floor, Stachel outlined how brands are actually coping with this new reality. 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Vietnam, for instance, operates nearly 50 seaports, including Ho Chi Minh City and Hai Phong, both of which have multiple sailings to the U.S. each week. Indonesia boasts over 100 ports, including Tanjung Priok in Jakarta. Even Cambodia, though limited in scale, has weekly direct sailings from both Phnom Penh and Sihanoukville. These figures underscore the importance of transportation fluidity and market access in sourcing decisions. As Stachel emphasized, brands are no longer optimizing solely for cost, they're optimizing for resilience. Both Smith and Manning cautioned that the real reckoning may be ahead. While tariff impacts are already being priced in at the retail level, the broader inflationary wave has yet to crest. Smith called inflation the 'other shoe,' likely to drop later this summer as new tariffs pass through the supply chain and collide with already fragile consumer sentiment. Uncertainty, they agreed, has become the greatest tax of all. With businesses unable to predict future policy, many are frozen. Manning advised attendees to monitor key macroeconomic signals, including treasury bond activity, consumer confidence indices and safety stock drawdowns. Executive orders posted on he added, are the best early indicators of a sudden policy shift. What retailers are saying – and doing The audience at CartCon also offered candid perspectives. Through real-time polling, attendees offered a rare window into how brands are navigating the chaos. Asked what recent policy had most affected their supply chains, 68% cited China tariffs, with an additional 24% naming de minimis enforcement, or stricter checks on duty-free, low-value imports. In a sign of just how volatile the environment has become, 64% said they revisit their sourcing strategies quarterly. And nearly half, 47%, have responded by raising prices. Twenty-nine percent have changed sourcing countries, while 18% are simply eating the cost. Looking ahead, most brands aren't betting on reshoring. Asked if they expect to source more from the U.S. in five years, 70% said their sourcing would remain about the same, and 30% expected an increase. No one expected to source less. It was a striking rebuke of the idea that domestic manufacturing is due for a renaissance, at least for the retail segment. Tariffs and uncertainty are already impacting consumer demand. Thirty percent of respondents said they expect a consumer slowdown by Q4 2025, while 45% said they're already feeling one. And yet, the vast majority, 82%, said they are not cutting marketing budgets in response. In today's environment, visibility is survival. In a forward-looking poll, 81% of respondents said online shopping will be the dominant channel in the next decade, compared to just 6% for stores. Even more striking, 75% believe direct-to-consumer models can still succeed, suggesting that agility, not abandonment, is the key to survival. The post CartCon 2025: Tariffs, turbulence and the future of resilient retail appeared first on FreightWaves. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

700 Marines deployed to Los Angeles amid major riots
700 Marines deployed to Los Angeles amid major riots

American Military News

time12 minutes ago

  • American Military News

700 Marines deployed to Los Angeles amid major riots

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