Approximately 60 employees at Tatte, the popular Boston-based bakery and café chain, were recently compelled to resign after failing to correct discrepancies in their Social Security paperwork, which were flagged by the IRS.
A spokesperson for Tatte, which employs a total of 2,500 individuals across its locations, confirmed that the company had given workers several months to address the discrepancies identified by the IRS. The company also offered to provide access to an attorney who could assist employees in correcting the documentation.
“Tatte cares deeply about its team members and provides multiple opportunities for our team to correct data that the government has informed us is incorrect,” the company said in a statement. “While supporting our employees is a priority, we must comply with the law.”
The IRS notifications were related to discrepancies in Social Security information, which do not necessarily indicate that the affected workers are not authorized to work in the U.S. These notices are often ignored, and employees may not always understand the errors that prompted them. Immigration attorney Matthew Maiona explained this in an interview with NBC10 Boston, stating that many workers are nervous and may either leave their jobs or be let go without fully understanding the situation.
The issue has garnered attention in light of President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign promises to enforce stricter immigration policies, including large-scale deportations and heightened immigration enforcement. Helena DaSilva Hughes, president of the New Bedford-based Immigration Assistance Center, predicts that more businesses may soon face similar pressures to terminate undocumented workers.
One former Tatte employee, Jessica (who requested her full name not be used for fear of repercussions), shared her concern. Jessica, a Guatemalan woman, noted that several of her friends at Tatte were recently let go for failing to provide the necessary paperwork. “They’ve begun to fire people at other places, so we’re not exempt from the possibility it can happen to us,” she said in Spanish.
The story, first reported by The Boston Globe, highlights ongoing concerns about the enforcement of immigration laws and the impact on workers in industries reliant on immigrant labor.