A Jackson Hewitt employee was recorded coaching illegal immigrants in New York City on how to obtain up to $14,000 in tax refunds, regardless of whether they were employed, as tax season approaches.
Turning Point USA contributor Savanah Hernandez was reporting outside the Roosevelt Hotel in New York City when she discovered a Jackson Hewitt table distributing flyers to illegal immigrants.
The flyers, written in Spanish, read, “Working or not, file your taxes and we can get the maximum refund for your family.” The flyer explained that if a person has three children, they can receive over $14,000.
Hernandez stated that the employee who handed her the flyer quickly took it back upon realizing she was a journalist.
I caught a @jacksonhewitt employee coaching illegals on how they could get up to $14,000 in tax refunds whether they’re “working or not”
Perhaps figuring out who is receiving tax refunds is the next thing @elonmusk should look into
pic.twitter.com/1SMhP0DKZE— Savanah Hernandez (@sav_says_) March 29, 2025
When asked whether the company was assisting migrants in obtaining tax refunds, one employee firmly responded, “Yes.” Another employee added that they provide similar services at “all the shelters.”
The tabling took place outside the Roosevelt Hotel, which has been referred to as “the new Ellis Island” due to its role as a processing center for many of the more than 230,000 migrants who have arrived in New York City between the summer of 2022 and January 2024, according to Bloomberg.
The hotel ceased operations in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic and has since been used as a migrant shelter.
However, Mayor Eric Adams announced last month that the Roosevelt Hotel would close as a migrant shelter in June.
Despite the closing of the Roosevelt, another shelter recently opened in the Bronx with 2,200 beds specifically for single migrant men, Hernandez noted.
New York City has spent $7 billion on the migrant crisis over the last several years.
