Do Illegal Aliens Really Pay Taxes?

One of the most repeated (and absurd) myths propagated by the advocates of open borders (i.e., non-enforcement of immigration laws) is that illegal aliens earn their keep by paying their share of taxes. The truth: thousands of illegal aliens shake down the U.S. Treasury for thousands of dollars every tax season and pay little or no income taxes at all.

Here's how it works:

A married couple filing jointly are not required to file an income tax return if their net income is less than $18,700 per year. Very few of the breadwinners of illegal aliens are required to file an income tax return because most do not earn $1500 per month of reportable income.

However:

Most illegal alien families DO file an income tax return even if their income is very low--say $10,000 per year, or less. They do it to collect the "shakedown" money called "tax credits," particularly those tax credits under line 49 and 51 of IRS Form 1040, education tax credits for their children (who attend public schools without paying non-resident tuition), and tax credits for children (for up to three).

How do they file an income tax return if they have no valid Social Security Card?

The IRS will issue any illegal alien an ITIN (Individual Tax Identification Number) for the purpose of filing a tax return, regardless of their income.

Top the above off with the fact that welfare income (food stamps, medicaid, two free school lunches per day, free cell phones (see "Obamaphones") + 250 free minutes per month, and dozens of other "entitlements" for which illegal aliens are entitled, DO NOT COUNT as "earned income," and do not affect eligibility for these handouts.

The Government's estimate for the number of 12 million illegal aliens in the U.S. is probably far to low. There are probably more Mexicans than that. Some estimate that there are over 30 million illegal aliens here.

Considering the above, could anyone wonder how, as a nation, we are $16 trillion in debt?