Victoria Manning, Restoration News
Federal law prohibits
employers from knowingly hiring an unauthorized immigrant and from
employing someone without work authorization. Yet a growing network of
nonprofits and universities is teaching the illegal alien community
exactly how to get around the law, one Individual Taxpayer
Identification Number (ITIN) at a time.
The IRS only cares about collecting taxes—illegal or not. It all starts with the ITIN.
Immigrants Rising,
a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is one of several organizations Restoration News
has uncovered that openly help undocumented immigrants bypass work
authorization requirements. It is just one example in our investigative
series on the topic.
... Even though foreigners should not work in the United States without work
authorization, an ITIN can be used to obtain an Employer Identification
Number (EIN) to establish a business. The IRS is aware of this
workaround—and looks away.
... The IRS states
that an ITIN does not “authorize you to work legally in the U.S.”
However, you can “apply for an ITIN regardless of immigration status.”
Uncle Sam wants its tax money, even if the employment violates work
authorization laws.
The process is severely flawed. Lawful immigrants who follow the lengthy
and costly process to come to America legally often still must wait in
line to receive proper work authorization. Yet the IRS turns a blind eye
to illegal aliens who circumvent the law to take jobs away from legal
migrants and citizens.
The IRS allows third-party groups known as Certifying Acceptance Agents
(CAAs) to process paperwork and certify the identities of applicants to
obtain an ITIN. Nearly anyone can become a CAA—just
complete the online training, apply, and wait for approval. Illegal
aliens can then go to a CAA to obtain an ITIN without ever having to
interact directly with the IRS. A student identification card (for
individuals under age 24), a foreign driver’s license, and a foreign
birth certificate are acceptable documents
to verify a person’s identity for an ITIN. No need to prove legal
status, and those documents don’t have to be sent to the IRS. They
remain with the CAA.
... The IRS should stop treating tax compliance as a substitute for legal
status. And the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice
Department should start asking why elite universities and tax-exempt
organizations are functioning as distribution channels for a workaround
to federal law.
