Representative Clay Higgins, a Republican from Louisiana, introduced legislation last month to bar illegal aliens from receiving certain tax credits.
Individuals who entered the country illegally can presently receive federal child tax credits and earned income tax credits, a reality which decreases revenues by $25 billion every year. The legislation proposed by Higgins would require that anyone applying for either program must have legally immigrated and have been granted a work-authorized Social Security number.
“From day one, Democrats have shown preference for illegals over Americans in order to advance their socialist agenda,” Higgins remarked in a statement. “By closing loopholes in our tax code, we can ensure that beneficial tax credits are going to eligible, hardworking Americans while simultaneously saving taxpayers billions of dollars.”
Americans broadly reject offering the tax benefits to illegal aliens: a survey from the Center for Excellence in Polling found that 72% of likely voters “oppose allowing individuals who entered the United States illegally” to receive child tax credits. Some 85% of Republicans and 81% of independents agreed with that position, while 50% of Democrats concurred.
Beyond tax credits, however, the advent of mass illegal immigration imposes extensive burdens on government agencies. One study from the Federation for American Immigration Reform calculated that federal agencies spend more than $66 billion on illegal immigration every year, while state and local governments spend nearly $116 billion; illegal immigrants pay $31 billion in taxes annually, meaning they induce some $150 billion in overall costs every year.
Customs and Border Protection has encountered more than 7.5 million individuals entering the country illegally since President Joe Biden assumed office. Americans are now most likely to say that immigration is the “most important problem” facing the country, according to a survey from Gallup, marking a surge in concern about the issue ahead of the fall elections.
