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3 Myth Busting Facts about Undocumented Immigrants and Taxes
Undocumented immigrant, Marisol Soto from Arkansas, has created a social media campaign aimed at correcting the belief that undocumented immigrants don’t pay taxes. US Immigration Bonds reports on how Soto reveals findings that show how undocumented immigrants, who are ineligible for many public programs, including federal student aid, Medicaid and Medicare, and Social Security are still paying into such systems. Undocumented immigrants are financing public investment programs even though they are barred from accessing the benefits of the programs.
Much of the political fight over immigration has been fought with misleading facts and figures. Immigration bond services states three simple facts to help ground the debate over the supposed “costs” of undocumented immigration.
- Undocumented immigrants pay taxes.
Immigration bond experts know that undocumented immigrants pay taxes in many forms. They are not just workers, they are consumers who must pay standard sales taxes. According to a report from the Institute of Taxation and Economic policy, illegal immigrants paid an estimated $11.8 billion in state and local taxes in 2012.
In fact, as recently as July 2018, immigration proponents are asking if immigration bonds are set too high in Texas.
- Undocumented immigrants are a net financial gain to Social Security in general.
Immigration bail bondsmen report that in 2012 undocumented immigrants paid $12 billion is excess tax revenue in Social Security of which they cannot currently withdraw. Earnings by unauthorized immigrants result in a net positive effect on Social Security financial status.
- The “cost” of undocumented immigration isn’t even the point.
Unfortunately, US Immigration Bonds know that there is a deeper racialized xenophobia that facts and figures cannot compete with. There is an unfavorable belief surrounding illegal immigrants that is fueling stereotypes and political debates.