New York, NY—Yesterday, it was revealed that the Trump administration is pushing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to require taxpayers to disclose their immigration status or risk being pushed out of the country’s tax filing system altogether. The proposed changes would directly affect undocumented immigrants who use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), a nine-digit number issued to people who are not eligible for a Social Security number but still file and pay taxes in the United States.
Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition:
“Every New Yorker deserves to feel safe contributing to their economy and trust that paying taxes will not place them or their families at risk. The Trump administration’s latest effort to use the IRS to force the disclosure the immigration status of taxpayers is a dangerous attempt to weaponize the tax system. The proposed changes would undermine the trust of public institutions and push hundreds of thousands of New York taxpayers further into the shadows. Undocumented New Yorkers contribute $6.7 billion in local, state, and federal taxes annually, while immigrants with status contribute $74.8 billion. Instead of punishing people who fund our schools and comply with our tax laws, the federal government should be working to protect their rights and ensure that all communities can safely participate in our economy. We call on the federal government to stop targeting immigrant communities and on Congress to uphold taxpayer privacy protections for everyone in the United States.”