April 15—the day that people all over the U.S. have been dreading the most. Whether it’s filling out extensive, tedious paperwork, sending a frightening sum of money, or, for numerous undocumented immigrants under the Trump Administration, the apprehension that federal agents will come after them, Americans have many reasons to fear Tax Day.
The majority of immigrants are not outlaws trying to evade taxes and take advantage of the system, contrary to Trump’s border czar Tom Homan’s statement that “Many, many illegal aliens do not pay taxes,” according to The New York Times. In fact, researchers have proven that undocumented workers’ taxes amount to around $20 billion annually. Federal payroll taxes are withheld from undocumented workers’ paychecks despite the fact that they are not even eligible to receive the benefits that they are paying for, such as Social Security and Medicare, according to the nonprofit Institute of Taxation and Economic Policy. Regardless of having a Social Security number or not, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) permits anyone to file taxes.
This year’s Tax Day was conducted in a way that has never been done before. Because of the Trump Administration, the IRS was able to reveal some immigrants’ addresses and personal information to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, including those of 47,000 undocumented taxpayers who were being targeted for deportation, according to The Washington Post. While Tax Day is burdensome to all, the day especially looms over immigrants who fear that by simply sending out their tax forms, thus cooperating with the system, federal agents are going to come after them.
The changes seen in this year’s Tax Day have severed the trust of numerous immigrants. An undocumented woman, who has been paying taxes with her husband every year for at least a decade, expressed, ”I don’t know if we can trust this government not to come after us.” The couple states that they long for an opportunity to achieve legal status in the U.S. to prove that they pay their taxes because it is the right thing to do. The Treasury will receive much less revenue if undocumented workers were to skip sending out their taxes this year amid the surge of ICE arrests. Reported by The Washington Post, accountant María José Solís witnessed the decline in tax payments firsthand, as her clientele consists of 80 percent Latino clients, and more than 550 of her clients have disappeared due to being deported, leaving the country independently, or not paying their taxes. Solis and others who often work with immigrant communities have tried to understand the situation and continue filing their tax returns, but recently, that has gotten much more difficult. Alterations to the federal tax policy have excluded many immigrant families from receiving the child tax credit unless at least one parent has a Social Security number.
The Trump Administration’s decision to undo IRS confidentiality regarding taxpayers has not only caused a detrimental impact on undocumented immigrants but also the country as a whole. A more substantial underground economy has been formed, without the tax revenue needed to subsidize programs and infrastructure such as Medicare, Social Security, public schools, roads, and paying down interest to compensate for the national debt.
In the past, undocumented workers viewed tax payments as their way to advocate for themselves and prove that they are, indeed, willing to cooperate with the system. Paying taxes and contributing to their community would benefit immigrants applying for legal status. But now, the tables have turned. Because of these new changes led by the Trump Administration, Tax Day was met with fear, along with the threat of economic upheaval. Instead of proving that they are worthy citizens, immigrants were forced to hide.
