The law that includes the massive economic stimulus package for $ 2.2 trillion –Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES Act) – established that people will receive the $ 1,200 ‘checks’ ($ 2,400 for married couples and $ 500 for each child age 16 and under) only if they have a valid Social Security number.
–
This left out individuals filing their tax returns with a Personal Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) and married couples who jointly filed taxes using at least one ITIN number.
–
Citizen children of parents who use an ITIN number were also excluded, which has generated requests from organizations such as the Center for American Progress (CAP) for a new phase of relief (if approved) to contemplate these people who according to their data declared $ 13.2 billion in net taxes to the IRS in 2015.
–
“By excluding taxpayers with an ITIN number, the federal government is excluding about 5.1 million children, the vast majority of whom are US citizens, from benefiting from the provisions of the CARES Act”CAP said.
–
Undocumented immigrants routinely use an ITIN number to file their taxes, thereby contributing to Social Security withdrawal without having access to those benefits.
–
What happens to these taxpayers and the federal aid approved to overcome the impact of the covid-19 pandemic has been one of the most frequent questions we have received in Univision Noticias since President Donald Trump enacted the law in late March. We consulted the IRS on this specific issue, but they replied that they were evaluating the details of the law enforcement.
–
In an explanation of how to use the tool to verify aid ‘check’ status, the IRS said the following: “You can access (the tool) Get My Payment using an ITIN number, but in most cases, the law does not allow an economic impact payment (the ‘check’) for individuals who file taxes using an ITIN number. “
–
“The only exception occurs when a married couple files taxes jointly and one of them is a member of the United States Armed Forces at any time of the year for which they filed taxes, in which case only one spouse needs an Insurance number Social valid, “adds the IRS on its page.
–
We consulted experts again about this, who confirm that they have been left out of the economic relief package.
–
“All families who have a member with an ITIN number are excluded. This is the most flagrant omission of the law and that it is trying to change,” he told Univision Noticias Chuck Marr, director senior federal tax policy Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
–
“These taxpayers work in sectors critical to our economy, such as agriculture, and contribute enormously to our country. While many of us are home, these immigrant workers continue to work in our hospitals, farm fields, and countless industries. “, Correa said when presenting the project.
–
But it is not clear if the proposal has the necessary support to be approved in the House of Representatives, and, if approved, it would later go to the Republican-majority Senate, where it does not seem to have much chance of prospering.
–
In this scenario, organizations like the Center for American Progress they aim for these taxpayers to be included then in a next round of aid, if it is carried out.
–
“Mixed-status families and undocumented immigrants must have access to the emergency financial support available to all Americans. It is disproportionately more likely than undocumented immigrants, as well as those protected by DACA (undocumented youth who entered the country before reaching the age of 16) and TPS (Temporary Protected Status), are essential workers and therefore are key to preserving public health and supporting systems that allow millions of Americans to comply with social distancing guidelines by staying home, “he said in a statement.
–
While that possibility materializes, California chose to approve a $ 75 million disaster relief fund that provides aid for undocumented immigrants, who are also not eligible for unemployment benefit benefits. According to the Gavin Newsom government, nearly 150,000 adult undocumented immigrants in the state will receive a cash payment of $ 500 per adult, with a maximum of $ 1,000 per household, which they will be able to apply from the beginning of May.
–
Journalist Ana Elena Azpúrua contributed reporting work for this story.
–
