A common argument among anti-immigrant politicians and advocates is that noncitizens who are in the United States illegally exploit government benefits and constitute a financial burden on the country. That claim is largely inaccurate and misleading.
The latest evidence was provided this week by policy analysts and researchers at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. They found that undocumented immigrants in the United States paid $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022, averaging $8,889 per person.
