Undocumented Workers Follow the Law, Pay Taxes—Trump Calls That a Crime

I am writing to request that Congress take immediate action to stop the Trump administration’s illegal overreach in weaponizing the IRS against undocumented workers who contribute to our economy every single day. For years, these workers have paid billions into our tax system—funding Social Security, Medicare, and state budgets—without being able to claim a single dollar in benefits. They are propping up a Social Security system that American retirees rely on, yet they get nothing in return. If anything, their contributions help delay insolvency. In 2023 alone, undocumented immigrants paid an estimated $13 billion in federal income taxes, $12 billion into Social Security, and $11 billion in state and local taxes. That’s over $36 billion in total tax contributions—despite the fact that they are ineligible for most government benefits. They do this using Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs)—issued by the U.S. government itself for the sole purpose of allowing them to pay taxes. The government is happy to take their money, but now Trump wants to turn around and use that very system to hunt them down. This is blatant government overreach—something Republicans are supposed to oppose. If we allow ICE to access taxpayer records for deportation purposes, what’s stopping the government from using IRS data to target other groups in the future? This is not conservatism. This is authoritarianism. Congress must act immediately to block the IRS from handing over private taxpayer information to ICE. If we let this happen, we set a dangerous precedent where any administration—Republican or Democrat—can use the IRS as a tool of political retaliation.