A Jackson Hewitt representative was filmed outside a New York City migrant shelter reportedly encouraging illegal immigrants to apply for tax refunds — even if they haven’t worked in the U.S. The encounter occurred near the Roosevelt Hotel, a key processing site for newly arrived migrants.
Turning Point USA contributor Savanah Hernandez captured the footage while reporting outside the hotel. She approached a Jackson Hewitt table and was handed a flyer, written in Spanish, that advertised tax refunds for families regardless of employment status. It claimed individuals with three children could receive more than $14,000.
🚨 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
According to Hernandez, the employee retrieved the flyer after realizing she was a journalist. When asked if the company was helping migrants obtain refunds, one worker responded “yes,” while another claimed the company offered the same service at multiple shelters across the city.
The flyer allegedly listed specific refund amounts depending on the number of children. Those figures included $7,650 for one child, $12,635 for two and $14,255 for three. The materials did not clarify how employment status or legal residency affected eligibility.
The Roosevelt Hotel, once a popular Midtown destination, now houses migrants as part of the city’s emergency shelter system. Bloomberg previously reported that over 230,000 migrants have arrived in New York City between 2022 and early 2024. Mayor Eric Adams announced the shelter will close in June.
Although that facility is scheduled to shut down, another location recently opened in the Bronx. That site will accommodate 2,200 single men, expanding the city’s efforts to manage the ongoing migrant influx.
Elon Musk, who currently oversees the Department of Government Efficiency, responded to Hernandez’s post by criticizing the use of tax refunds to entice illegal immigration. He claimed that such practices serve a political purpose, helping Democrats cement control similar to what he described in California.
New York officials say the migrant crisis has cost the city $7 billion since 2022, with that number expected to rise as more shelters open and services expand.
