Show You Our Papers? How About You Show Us Your Taxes!
How Undocumented Immigrants Contribute Billions in Taxes Without Reaping Any Reward In The Trump Era
Today, I alongside millions of other Americans am preparing to file my tax returns in anticipation of the April 18 deadline. Taxes are a fundamental block that is used to continue building our democracy. They are used to fund vital public services and infrastructure that ensures that our schools remain open and that our roads don’t become full of potholes. Truth be told, taxes are a necessary part of society and it is only fair that we all pay our fair share. However, this has not been the case.
Throughout his presidential campaign and now as U.S. President, Donald Trump made very strong statements in regards to his own tax returns and financial assets as well as his view regarding undocumented immigrants. In terms of his own taxes, Trump has still refused to publicly release his own returns and put his many assets into a blind trust in order to avoid any conflict of interest. It ridiculous to me that President Trump has not done these things and that our elected leaders in Washington D.C. have not been able to hold him accountable either. This type of behavior represents the great double standard that currently exists in our country, where rich billionaires such as Trump and his ilk feel that they are above the law and should not be held accountable to the same laws that everyone else must follow.
In regards to undocumented immigrants, throughout his campaign and now as President, Donald Trump has criminalized undocumented immigrants by blaming them for bringing drugs and crime into the United States and taking advantage of law abiding U.S. citizens. As I mentioned in my previous essay, President Trump did not create this strategy all by himself. Scapegoating immigrants and flaming the fears of the white population has been used in expert fashion by the U.S. government for hundreds of years. If we look at the numbers, the answer is clear. Contrary to the hateful bile that is spewed by President Trump, undocumented immigrants as a whole are less likely to commit crimes compared to U.S. born citizens. In addition to this, it is estimated that undocumented immigrants pay billions of dollars in taxes without being able to reap any benefits from them.
The passage of DACA is 2012, which allowed certain undocumented immigrants to work legally in the U.S. has had great success in helping to grow the GDP of all states in the U.S. Just here in the State of California, it is estimated the passage of DACA helped to grow California’s GDP by more than $75 million dollars and has increased the earnings of State residents by more than $39 million dollars. This again shows the great contributions that are made by undocumented immigrants to the U.S. economy. So as we all finish up filing our taxes in the next few weeks, let us remember not to believe the hatred that is being spewed from Washington D.C. Immigrants are our family members, our neighbors, and our good friends. Let us not be blinded by hatred. Instead we should be demanding accountability of all our elected officials including President Trump. A leader should lead by example, that includes paying your taxes and being accepting of all people who reside and work within your country and make it great.