Left without financial assistance: US citizens married to immigrants sued the government

The Mexican-American Legal Defense and Education Foundation (MALDEF) has sued the federal government over denial of assistance in connection with the coronavirus, US citizens married to immigrants without social security numbers, writes Bakersfield.

Photo: Shutterstock

The lawsuit was filed in Maryland on Tuesday, April 28, on behalf of six US citizens who were denied federal assistance for the coronavirus because they filed returns and paid taxes with a spouse who has a so-called individual tax identification number (ITIN ), or with an immigrant without legal status, paying taxes.

MALDEF says the US Treasury Department is violating the first and fifth amendments by denying payments to Americans simply because of who they are married to. Last month, Congress adopted a $ 2,2 trillion package to help businesses, workers and the healthcare system affected by the coronavirus. Over the past couple of weeks, many Americans have already received money in their accounts.

It is estimated that 2 million US citizens or legal permanent residents are married to people without a Social Security number, although it is unclear how many of them filed tax returns with them.

“All families with immigrant spouses are very similar to other families in the United States. They have children, they are facing an economic downturn, and they still have to pay rent, buy groceries and gas,” said Nina Perales, MALDEF vice president and leader of the lawsuit.

On the subject: Financial assistance in connection with the coronavirus: now you can specify the invoice for sending and track the payment

Cristina Segundo-Hernandez, who lives in Fort Worth, Texas, is one of the plaintiffs in the case. Segundo-Hernandez is a U.S. citizen married to a Mexican immigrant who pays federal taxes through an ITIN. A couple who has been married for 8 years files their taxes jointly every year. They are both working fewer hours due to the coronavirus pandemic and are falling behind on bills.

Obtaining federal aid in connection with coronavirus would significantly help them.

“I could fill the refrigerator for my kids,” said Segundo-Hernandez, who has four children. - You need to know that there are people who, for example, work as doctors, put their lives at risk - and they experience the same thing. They were betrayed by the government because of who they were married to.”

David Hessell-Cercado, a fourth-grade teacher in Los Angeles, is an American citizen married to a Mexican immigrant who is close to becoming a permanent resident. Hessel-Cercado is not involved in the lawsuit, but also will not receive payments in connection with the coronavirus, which have already reached millions of Americans.

On the subject: Tax Season 2020: IRS extends filing deadlines for most Americans

According to the man, he was lucky that he was still working, but he considers it unfair that the Americans were excluded from the package of assistance in connection with the coronavirus because of who they are married to.

“It’s meanness that hurts the most,” he said. “Anyone who gets married and goes through the immigration process already has to deal with years and years and years of delays and obstacles to overcome. It looks like they have come up with something again to show bad attitude towards us.”

As ForumDaily wrote earlier:

• Coronavirus Federal Payments will not be taxed.
• If the government does not have your direct bank account number, some will wait for mailed checks by September.
• According to the adopted package of financial assistance, there are categories of people who, despite the matching income level, will not receive assistance. Their list is here.
• The topic of government support is actively used by scammers. The schemes used by them and ways to protect themselves from them - here to register:.
• April 15th IRS launches online tool, which will help you enter information about your account, track the payment and receive money as soon as possible. For details on how to use it, read here.
• After the start of payments, many reported that when checking the status of payment online, they found that the money was sent to Incorrect accounts, including dead.
• Most Americans will receive federal government aid payments for coronavirus automatically, but there are several reasons payment may be delayed.

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