A tax service table set up outside a New York City migrant shelter has raised questions after a Jackson Hewitt employee reportedly encouraged illegal immigrants to file for large refunds, regardless of whether they had worked. Independent journalist Savanah Hernandez documented the encounter on video near the Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown.
Flyers distributed by the tax preparer were written in Spanish and claimed that even those without jobs could still receive “the maximum refund for your family.” Specific dollar amounts were included, stating a possible return of over $14,000 for households with three children.
🚨 BREAKING: Employees of Jackson-Hewitt, a tax services company, were handing out flyers to illegal immigrants lined up outside of the Roosevelt Hotel in NYC, which is famous for housing migrants on the taxpayer's dime.
The flyer indicates that illegal immigrants can get up to… pic.twitter.com/w56w7oZ1BN
— FRONTLINES (@FrontlinesTPUSA) March 29, 2025
The flyer was given to Hernandez but swiftly taken back after the employee learned she was a reporter. When asked directly if illegal migrants could receive help filing for refunds, the employee said yes. A second person said the same kind of help was available at other shelter locations across the city.
The Roosevelt Hotel, once a commercial property, was repurposed to house and process migrants beginning in 2022. Bloomberg reported that more than 230,000 migrants entered New York City between the summer of that year and January 2024. Despite serving as a central hub, city officials plan to shut down the Roosevelt shelter in June.
Elon Musk, who now heads the Department of Government Efficiency, responded online to the footage. Musk stated that fraudulent tax filings are used as part of what he called a larger effort by the Democratic Party to retain political power by enabling noncitizens to benefit from government payouts.
The flyer shared by Hernandez listed returns based solely on the number of children claimed. No details were provided regarding documentation, work history or immigration status.
Elsewhere in the city, a new shelter facility opened recently in the Bronx, built to house over 2,000 adult men. The Adams administration has defended the expansion, citing a need to manage the rising numbers of new arrivals.
