Monday, April 16, 2007

"I feel it's my responsibility to pay."

Illegal immigrants filing taxes:
With the tax deadline approaching, illegal immigrants are sending in federal returns in what appear to be record numbers despite fears heightened by recent immigration raids around the country.

The increase in filings comes amid talk of an immigration overhaul, with some proposals introduced in Congress linking amnesty to the payment of taxes. Many illegal immigrants showing up at tax preparation offices around the country say they hope that filing a return will create a paper trail that could lead to citizenship one day.

Let me get this straight. You come to the United States - illegally - to live and work, breaking the law in doing so. You think that if you pay some taxes, you'll eventually become a citizen and thereby have a right to live and work in the United States. This works so long as the government allows it to work. Currently, the I.R.S. doesn't ask about a person's immigration status. And, when has the government ever refused to take someone's money?
“I feel it’s my responsibility to pay,” said Mr. Lima, 39, clutching a $202 money order for the Internal Revenue Service. “And if it helps me get papers, fine. The most important would be a permit to travel back and forth to see my family.”

Yeah. It's my responsibility to pay, but not to come to America in the proper way.

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