Today’s the IRS deadline for filing taxes. Millions of Americans are paying Uncle Sam -- and so are hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrants.
In fact, record numbers of undocumented workers are expected to file returns and pay taxes on their income this year.
Abraham Aldrete is with ACORN, a non-profit group that offers social services including free assistance with tax filings to poor people. He believes more illegal immigrants are filing to get refunds and to boost their standing in the U.S.
Aldrete : They’re interested in getting a reimbursement back from the money that was withheld from them during the course of the taxable year and secondly because a lot of our clients are a part of society. They are contributing to the economy so in filing taxes they're demonstrating that they are playing by the rules.
Undocumented workers can file taxes by applying for what's called an Individual Tax Identification Number or ITIN. Last year alone, 1.5 million people applied for those numbers. IRS Spokesman Raphael Tulino says a person's residency status has little to do with whether someone is legally bound to pay taxes on income.
Tulino : Whether you're here as a resident alien, a non-resident alien, a legal U.S. Citizen, if you have a tax purpose, a tax obligation and you're earning income, you have a reason to file a return. This number. This ITIN number will help you do that.
Tax preparers say some undocumented workers are skittish that filing returns with the government might alert officials of their status and make them more vulnerable to deportation. But Tulino says they need not worry.
Tulino : The IRS does not share information, tax information, we're in charge of enforcing tax laws, administering tax laws. I would assume that it would be a very extreme circumstance if information was shared with another agency. I'm not sure what those circumstances are. But the bottom line is we don't share with others information.
People qualify for an ITIN number if they earn money for work, have proof of their foreign origin, and aren't authorized to get a social security number.
There is some opposition to the practice of assigning these numbers to illegal immigrants. Groups in favor of limiting immigration say the government is legitimizing undocumented workers by giving them these numbers to file taxes and actually rewarding them by giving them a refund. They say the whole filing process for illegal immigrants undercuts immigration laws.
