Latinas Oppose Efforts to Eliminate Child Tax Credit for Latino Families

The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) urges Congress to oppose the Ayotte Amendment to S. 1963, or the Military Retirement Pay Bill, which proposes paying for the restoration of pension benefits to some military retirees by denying the Child Tax Credit (CTC) to low-income immigrant, Latino, and other families who file taxes utilizing the Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). The Child Tax Credit is a lifeline for low-income, hardworking, and tax-paying families who are raising children. If the CTC were eliminated for ITIN filers, 4.4 million Latino children in mixed-status families would lose access to this vital economic support, which in 2010 lifted 1.3 million children out of poverty.
Jessica González-Rojas, executive director of NLIRH issued the below statement:
“It is unconscionable that Congress would pit military service members against low-income children by proposing to pay for the restoration of military retirement benefits by eliminating the Child Tax Credit for low-income Latino and immigrant families. NLIRH urges Congress to oppose the Ayotte Amendment to S. 1963. The Child Tax Credit is a lifeline for millions of low-income families, including 4.4 million Latino children and 1 million little DREAMers or immigrant youth. All Latinas, regardless of immigration status or how they file their taxes, should be able to provide for their families and raise their children with dignity and respect; the Ayotte amendment is a senseless proposal that would drive more Latino families into poverty during a time of rising poverty and income inequality. We urge Congress to work toward solutions that enable all women and families to raise their families with health, dignity, and respect.”
The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health is the only national organization working on behalf of the reproductive health and justice of the 24 million Latinas, their families and communities in the United States through public education, community mobilization and policy advocacy.