Two Republicans from New York are calling for the IRS to investigate four nonprofit organizations involved in legal and immigration advocacy. They claim these groups have received taxpayer money while not doing enough to combat illegal immigration during the Trump presidency.
Nicole Malliotakis from Staten Island and Claudia Tenney from Watertown raised concerns about the nonprofit’s operations after a report indicated it had over $600 million in public funding, which it allegedly uses to support New York’s sanctuary policies.
“We’re worried that these organizations might be leveraged as tax-exempt entities to provide benefits or legal advice that could encourage—or even aid—people in staying in the U.S. illegally,” they commented.
The groups in question include the Bronx Defender, the New York Immigration Coalition, Make the Road NY, and New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, all of which offer legal services to vulnerable populations, including immigrants.
The lawmakers argued that the sanctuary-related work of these groups could warrant revocation of their tax-exempt status, pointing to prior IRS rulings as a basis for their claims.
Review sources noted that the Bronx Defender alone has secured over $500 million in city and state contracts since 2018. Make the Road NY received $56 million, the New York Immigration Coalition got $46 million, while New York Lawyers for the Public Interest has been allocated about $19 million over the years.
These organizations have pushed for legislation like the “New York for All” bills, which prevent local law enforcement from working with federal immigration authorities. The Bronx Defender has particularly campaigned against ICE operations in Rikers Island and state courtrooms.
The lawmakers have written to IRS Commissioner William Hollis Long about their concerns, suggesting that these organizations are using tax-funded resources to aid unauthorized immigrants.
Additionally, the groups have advised their clients and the public against cooperating with ICE, as mentioned in a letter from Malliotakis and Tenney, who are also part of the House Ways and Means Committee.
They emphasized that tax-exempt status is intended for charitable, religious, or educational purposes. “With the federal tax benefits alongside these public grants, the financial burden shifts to taxpayers who may disagree with how these funds are utilized to protect immigrants facing removal,” they said.
Furthermore, they referenced a directive from President Trump dated April 28, 2025, which urged federal agencies to retract funding from sanctuary jurisdictions such as New York City that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.
The lawmakers believe the IRS needs to assess whether the actions of these advocacy groups undermine federal immigration enforcement or engage in unlawful promotion of illegal immigration.
If they find that the IRS has not adhered to its guidelines, they plan to demand the revocation of the groups’ tax-exempt status.
The IRS declined to provide further details, citing the Privacy Act concerning tax-exempt organizations, and representatives from the mentioned groups did not offer comments on the matter.
