At TAX time illegal immigrants pay taxes too

I always hear and read the complaint that Immigration places a burden in the local services, so I was surprised when I found this article.

According to an Associated Press Article Illegal immigrants get taxes withheld from their paychecks, they are afraid to file a claim to get a tax return so that money goes to Uncle Sam. They calculate that it amounts to $9 billion dollars a year.

The articles says that the impact on Social Security is significant, because most of that money is never claimed, because illegal immigrants cannot claim Social Security. So it is used to pay legal workers’ Social Security.

“Overall, any type of immigration is a net positive to Social Security. The more people working and paying into the system, the better,” the article said. “It does help the system remain solvent.”

You can find the full article here

Most people don’t know that legal immigrants go thru a period where they are permanent residents, not citizens yet (they may choose to never become citizens). This period last at least 5 years, when you become eligible for citizenship. During that time we pay taxes, SS, unemployment, but are not eligible to receive any of those benefits, and those who never become citizens will never be eligible.