Fresno area Farm League concerned IRS could use immigrant workers ITIN to help deportations

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – The Nisei Farmers League President says he and the league’s members are concerned tax numbers could get them into trouble with the Department of Homeland Security. 

They believe DHS has requested the Internal Revenue Service to assist with deportation efforts. 

Nisei Farmers League President Manuel Cunha says this has gone too far. 

“People with ITIN’s are not criminals, They’re not rapists and murderers. They’re not traffickers. They are hardworking people,” Cunha said. 

Cunha says in the past 24 hours he’s received phone calls and emails from concerned members, who fear the IRS is requesting Individual Taxpayer Identification Number filers from employers. 

Immigrants use the ITIN number to file federal taxes because they do not have social security numbers. 

While YourCentralValley.com has not been able to independently verify this is happening, Cunha doesn’t think ITIN filers should be targeted. 

“You’re going to rat them out because you’ve developed the program so that you can get taxes. Great. Now you’re going to use it against them. Absolutely wrong,” he said. 

He says if this does happen, he worries farm workers won’t come to work, meaning growers won’t have anyone to help harvest. He says that would not just impact farmer’s bottom lines, but the economy statewide. 

“The employers have to be real concern for their workers because if the workers don’t show up to work. Now we’ve got a bigger crime of a problem or a mess because the economics to that farmer are going to be huge if he can’t get the crop thinned or pruned and finished,” Cunha said.

He says this could mean less food on the table not just the valley, but all over the country. 

He wants valley congressmen and senators to prevent this from happening.

“Trump said, he said, I want to go after criminals. I’m not going to go after the hardworking people. Those were his words after the hard-working people that stay with that philosophy,” he said.

YourCentralValley.com reached out to the IRS and the DHS for comment but hasn’t heard back yet.