President-elect Donald Trump's goal of mass deportation of illegal immigrants is becoming a reality. Stephen Miller was nominated by President Trump as Chief of Staff. a stated plan Immediately after the inauguration, the administration launches “the largest deportation operation in American history.”
Illegal immigrants will continue to be in charge of the next administration; favorite scapegoatwe must never lose sight of one of the many ways members of these communities contribute to the federal, state, and local economies: through taxes.
Like their neighbors, illegal immigrants pay sales and excise taxes on goods and services such as groceries, gasoline, and utilities. They pay property taxes whether they own or rent a home (because landlords pass some of the taxes on to renters). They pay payroll taxes through automatic withholding from their paychecks and income taxes in a variety of ways, including filing using what the IRS calls an ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number).
According to thorough analysis According to a study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (which I contributed to), in 2022 illegal aliens will pay approximately $97 billion in taxes, of which more than $54 billion will go to the federal government and more than $37 billion. was paid to state and local governments. Put another way, the United States loses $8.9 billion in tax revenue for every million illegal immigrants sent abroad under mass deportation programs.
Illegal immigrants fund teacher salaries, road and bridge repairs, and other improvements to local quality of life. They also deprive important programs that make up our social safety net (Social Security, Medicare, Unemployment Insurance, etc.) even though they likely won't receive any benefits from these programs. are paying. Prohibited You cannot access them. this is, Earned Income Tax Credit And in some cases, child tax credit.
At the state level, undocumented immigrants pay most of their taxes in sales and excise taxes on everyday purchases ($15.1 billion), followed by property taxes ($10.4 billion) and personal and corporate income taxes ($7.0 billion). billion dollars) followed.
Measured as a percentage of income, undocumented immigrants paid an average effective tax rate of 8.9% in state and local taxes. This means they pay a higher share of their income in these taxes than many of the top 1 percent, who pay the national average effective tax rate of just 100 yen. 7.2 percent to their home state. In fact, we find that illegal immigrants in 40 states pay higher effective state and local tax rates than the wealthiest residents living within their respective borders.
Deporting illegal immigrants en masse expensive And it brings hardship not only to families and communities that are torn apart, but also to average Americans. After all, removal doesn't mean cheaper housing or food. 20 percent construction sector workers or Over 1.6 million Workers in the food industry.
The debate over immigration in the United States is complex and requires far more nuance and understanding than has been historically afforded. Undocumented immigrants contribute to communities and economies in many lesser-known ways. Rather than drastic measures, we need to develop long-term solutions that consider human dignity, compassion, and basic facts.
Marco Guzman is a senior policy analyst at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.
