April 18th marked Tax Day for citizens of US, but did you know that undocumented immigrants also pay taxes? According to the American Immigration Council undocumented immigrants are paying billions of dollars each year in taxes. In spite of their undocumented status, and lack of standing in our country, “these immigrants—and their family members—are adding value to the U.S. economy, not only as taxpayers, but as workers, consumers, and entrepreneurs as well.” Millions of people who lack social security numbers are filing taxes with Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (“ITIN”). In fact, “most experts believe the vast majority of tax returns filed with ITINs today are filed by undocumented immigrants.” According to IRS records, in 2019 “more than 2.5 million tax returns were filed using ITINs, accounting for nearly $6 billion in taxes.” Additionally, officials estimate that undocumented immigrants also contribute billions to Social Security annually through payroll tax deductions.

As Jose Antonio Vargas, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and activist and former undocumented immigrant pointed out “undocumented immigrants are helping fund the very systems that detain and deport us.”