Exposed: The Illegal Alien Employment Workaround
Nonprofits, universities, and a federal tax loophole are helping illegal aliens bypass work authorization laws.
Federal law prohibits employers from knowingly hiring an unauthorized immigrant and from employing someone without work authorization. Yet a growing network of nonprofits and universities is teaching the illegal alien community exactly how to get around the law, one Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) at a time.
The IRS only cares about collecting taxes—illegal or not. It all starts with the ITIN.
Immigrants Rising, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is one of several organizations Restoration News has uncovered that openly help undocumented immigrants bypass work authorization requirements. It is just one example in our investigative series on the topic.
A Brighter Future for Illegals
The group’s website admits that it provides resources and support that help “undocumented people” obtain “an education, pursue careers, and build a brighter future for themselves and their communities.” It also runs an “Immigrant Bizhub” which teaches illegal alien students how to get jobs without work authorizations—in other words, how to skirt federal law.
An Immigrants Rising webinar titled “Income and Career Alternatives for Undocumented Students” reveals a partnership with the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. This alliance comprises over 400 college and university leaders who “support policies that create a welcoming environment for immigrant, undocumented and international students on our campuses.” Founding university presidents include those of Arizona State, Georgetown, Princeton, Harvard, Southeastern, the University of Memphis, and more.
In the same webinar, Immigrants Rising’s director Iliana Perez wrongly instructs illegal aliens that they can legally work as independent contractors by using an ITIN to pay taxes. She doesn’t mention that anyone who hires illegal alien independent contractors would also be breaking the law.
— Victoria Manning (@HoneyBadger_USA) August 26, 2026
Perez instructs undocumented immigrants that they can “avoid questions related to immigration status and work authorization” by starting their own business.
Immigrants Rising publishes on its website that “Everyone, regardless of immigration status, can make money by building their own businesses and working for themselves.”
Even though foreigners should not work in the United States without work authorization, an ITIN can be used to obtain an Employer Identification Number (EIN) to establish a business. The IRS is aware of this workaround—and looks away.
Northwestern University promotes Immigrants Rising on its Pathways to Work website, despite admitting that it’s illegal “for employers to knowingly hire, employ, or contract undocumented immigrants and/or those without a work permit.” The website adds, “It is still possible to contract your services without work authorization, so long as you do not disclose your status to your employer.” Northwestern also advises on whether a student seeking employment should disclose their immigration status.
Federal law makes it unlawful for any “person or other entity to hire, or to recruit or refer for a fee, for employment in the United States an alien knowing the alien is an unauthorized alien.”
The National Immigration Law Center spells it out plainly: “Regardless of whether you are an employee or independent contractor, individuals are not permitted to work in the United States without work authorization.”
Immigrants Rising also distributes a “Guide to Working for Yourself.” It’s a manual on how illegal aliens can earn income without getting caught. The guide teaches how to become an independent contractor by obtaining an ITIN and using that to get jobs.
The ITIN Racket
The IRS states that an ITIN does not “authorize you to work legally in the U.S.” However, you can “apply for an ITIN regardless of immigration status.” Uncle Sam wants its tax money, even if the employment violates work authorization laws.
The process is severely flawed. Lawful immigrants who follow the lengthy and costly process to come to America legally often still must wait in line to receive proper work authorization. Yet the IRS turns a blind eye to illegal aliens who circumvent the law to take jobs away from legal migrants and citizens.
The IRS allows third-party groups known as Certifying Acceptance Agents (CAAs) to process paperwork and certify the identities of applicants to obtain an ITIN. Nearly anyone can become a CAA—just complete the online training, apply, and wait for approval. Illegal aliens can then go to a CAA to obtain an ITIN without ever having to interact directly with the IRS. A student identification card (for individuals under age 24), a foreign driver’s license, and a foreign birth certificate are acceptable documents to verify a person’s identity for an ITIN. No need to prove legal status, and those documents don’t have to be sent to the IRS. They remain with the CAA.
ITINs can then be used to create a business, open a bank account, obtain a mortgage, and even secure a driver’s license in some states. Thanks to motor voter laws that permit voter registration when getting a driver’s license, obtaining an ITIN could be the first step on an illegal alien’s path to committing voter fraud.
This is yet another reason for Congress to pass the Save America Act, which would require proof of citizenship and proper identification to vote.
None of this happens in the shadows. It happens on university career pages, in nonprofit webinars, and through a federal tax ID that was never meant to double as a work permit. Closing that loophole starts with federal agencies enforcing the law.
The IRS should stop treating tax compliance as a substitute for legal status. And the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department should start asking why elite universities and tax-exempt organizations are functioning as distribution channels for a workaround to federal law.
MORE COVERAGE FROM RESTORATION NEWS
LinkedIn For Illegals: Undocuprofessionals Scrubbed Its Website—But Restoration News Has the Receipts
Law-Abiding? Hardly: Guilty Minnesota Fraudsters Ignored by Biden Admin Prove It: Elections Matter
The Sweep Widens: ICE Continues Crackdown—Asks Miami-Dade Officials to Detain Illegal Alien Charged with Murder
Turning A Blind Eye: Who Let the Illegal Alien Killer Out? And How Did He Get a Passport?
On The Voter Rolls: MICHIGAN: Democrats Insist Noncitizen Voting Isn’t a Problem. The Evidence Says Otherwise.
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