Every year in mid-April, Americans face a deadline to file their taxes with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and their states. Filing taxes is a legal obligation for U.S. citizens and others working in the U.S., and reporting false information is a crime. Yet for most working families, filing taxes is also a moment of hope and an opportunity to reclaim some of their hard-earned income because their paycheck deductions didn’t fully reflect their circumstances.

But tax season is about more than paperwork and refunds. It is a moment to reflect on how we invest in one another. Our tax system should be a reflection of collective care, rooted in the belief that everyone has the right to live a dignified life. It should ensure that all communities— working families, immigrants, and those historically excluded—see the benefits of their contributions. In 2022 alone, undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion in taxes—funds that help sustain vital programs like Social Security and Medicaid but that they have no access to. All immigrants have a role to play in shaping how public funds are used. Our voices matter in this conversation.

Taxes aren’t just about what we pay—they’re about what we get in return. That’s why we need to ask: How is our money being spent? Are our communities getting what they need to live well?

Our tax dollars fuel the systems we all rely on: education, healthcare, roads, clean water, public safety, and more. But today, those shared resources are under attack. Billionaires and corporations in power, many of whom have never paid their fair share, continue to push for cuts to public programs in order to secure tax breaks for themselves. These cuts don’t just threaten services; they undermine the vision of a society where everyone can thrive. They include cuts to critical programs like:

• Emergency Food Assistance Programs
• Public Health Programs
• Financial assistance to farmers
• Education programs
• USAID

Our taxes should fund the things that allow all of us to pursue the well-being of our families and communities—no matter our race, immigration status, or background. From schools and healthcare to housing and fair wages, public dollars should be spent on creating an equitable society where we are all guaranteed the right to a good quality of life and well-being.

This tax season, and all year long, let’s demand a system that prioritizes justice, invests in people, and works for all of us—not just the wealthy few.

Tax Day Campaign Goals: 

1. Raise migrant voices to educate our communities on the power of tax reform and our contributions as taxpayers.
2. Promote greater analysis on the current U.S. tax system and how it can be improved. 
3. Energize community members to host their own community events or conversations to discuss these issues and propose a new vision for the U.S. tax system. 

Our demands: 

1. End the IRS-DHS Collaboration:
   Stop using our tax system as a tool for surveillance and punishment. End all information sharing between the IRS and immigration enforcement agencies like DHS and ICE. This is a risk to all taxpayers, regardless of immigration status.
2. Make the Wealthy and Corporations Pay Their Fair Share:
   End the oligarchy. Close tax loopholes, raise corporate taxes, and ensure billionaires and big corporations contribute to the public good—just like working families already do. Congress must vote no on corporate tax cuts that will only benefit the ultra wealthy in this country.
3. No More Funding for ICE Detention and Enforcement:
   Stop pouring public money into private detention centers and militarized immigration enforcement. Private prisons should not generate wealth on the deprivation of freedom of others. Tax dollars should instead be used to invest instead in programs that promote safety, stability, and community well-being.
4. Tell Congress NO cuts to Medicaid in budget reconciliation, and to Protect Social Security from DOGE's irresponsible actions. 

Our tax dollars should build systems of care, not deepen inequality. Congress must reject any cuts to Medicaid in budget negotiations and defend Social Security from reckless attempts to undermine it. These programs are lifelines for millions—immigrants included—and must be fully funded and protected for generations to come.

5. Prioritize Care for Children, Elders, and People with Disabilities:
   Build a society where care is central. Fund universal childcare, elder care, disability services, and support systems that allow every person to live with dignity and independence.

‍Actions you can take:

Participate in our month-long campaign from April 15 to May 15 by sharing graphics, social media messaging, or contacting your elected representatives letting them know your demands.

Start by sharing our video for Tax Day, featuring Sandra Díaz, Narratives Specialist at Alianza Americas, reminding us that our taxes should reflect our values as a country by funding care, not cruelty, and calling on our representatives to block plans for the IRS to share taxpayer data with ICE. 

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Social Media Messages

Our taxes, and the ways they are spent, should reflect our values as a nation. We all deserve the right to a society that provides safety, stability, and the opportunity to thrive. Support efforts to promote access to health, education and justice for all. End the carceral state and stop the deportation machine. Protect our right to wellbeing!
📚 Fund health, education, and dignity for all
❌ End the carceral state & the deportation machine
✊🏽 Protect our collective right to live and thrive

#CareNotCages #FundOurFuture #StopTheDeportationMachine #RightToWellbeing

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The Privacy Act of 1974 protects us from having our personal info misused by government agencies. But now, the IRS and DHS want to tear down those protections—sharing taxpayer info to ramp up immigration enforcement. This is a danger for all taxpayers, regardless of immigration status.
🚨 Tell your elected officials: Stop this dangerous precedent. #ProtectPrivacy #StopSurveillance

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Working people pay taxes every year to fund education, health, and safety. That's why it is a travesty that billionaire oligarchs like Trump and Musk celebrate their efforts to pay little to no income taxes from their personal earnings or from the companies they run.
👎 That’s not justice—it’s exploitation.
📣 Time for billionaires to pay their fair share. #FairTaxes

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 Republicans are pushing Trump’s plan to slash social programs while expanding detention and deportation. They also want to extend and make permanent the 2017 tax cuts for the rich. Tell Congress:
❌ No more giveaways to billionaires.
✅ Protect immigrants and working families. 

#DefundDeportation #FundCommunityCare

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Medicaid covers 70 million people—40% of kids and millions of seniors and disabled people. It’s efficient and essential. But Republicans want to gut it to fund their anti-immigrant agenda. Tell Congress to:
📣Defend Medicaid, Medicare & Social Security.
📣Defund ICE. 

#ProtectCare #DefundHate #AbolishDOGE

Educational and Visioning Session

Participate in our Tax-month educational event and listening session “Nuestro Derecho al Bienestar” on April 29, 2025 at 9:00 am PT | 11:00 am CT | 12:00 pm ET. During that 90-minute session we will work to construct our shared vision of a more just federal fiscal policy that benefits all communities. Mark your calendars. More details and a formal invitation coming soon. (Only for Alianza Americas members)

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