The article linked below is from CNN and addresses the federal income taxes paid by millions of undocumented workers, and the unclaimed FICA funds paid by employers. These are complicated issues and deserve thoughtful consideration rather than just knee-jerk reactions.
For example, in Texas, public schools are funded almost entirely by personal real estate property taxes. Everyone who lives in Texas, except homeless people of course, pays property taxes. Most undocumented workers live in some form of apartment for which the owner pays property tax which in turn is paid to the owner by the tenant. Almost no one, and certainly not undocumented workers, gets free rent. A similar analysis of benefits such as County Hospitals like Parkland leads to the same conclusion. These workers pay the basis of this funding through personal property business taxes. In fact, an undocumented worker living and shopping in Dallas County “deserves†the benefits of Parkland Hospital more than a US citizen living in Collin County, assuming the Collin County resident does most of her shopping outside of Dallas County.
The article below discusses the federal income tax aspect of this issue and should be viewed as a breath of fresh air into the otherwise ugly tirades of anti-immigration Americans. It should be possible to discuss these issues calmly and openly.
David Swaim
Managing Partner
Tidwell, Swaim & Farquhar, P.C.
