Undocumented immigrant workers in NY pay over $3B in taxes, report says

[Passages]

By
Arya Sundaram
Published Aug 4, 2024 at 6:01 a.m. ET

Immigrants without legal authorization to work paid $3.1 billion in state and local taxes in New York in 2022, according to a new report by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a left-leaning nonprofit think tank.

The sum includes sales, property and income taxes for an estimated 676,000 immigrant New Yorkers who lack citizenship or legal residency status, according to report. If the workers were granted work permits, their tax contributions would rise to nearly $4 billion, the institute found.

New York is home to the fourth-largest concentration of undocumented immigrants in the country, behind California, Texas and Florida, per the report. That group does not include asylum-seekers.

The results counter common myths about immigrants not paying taxes and underscore the link between the country’s immigration policies and government tax coffers. They also highlight immigrant laborers' economic contributions as national polls show waning support for immigration.
https://gothamist.com/news/undocumented-immigrant-workers-in-ny-pay-over-3b-in-taxes-report-says

[MichMan]

1. That should significantly offset the $4 billion per year NYC is spending

NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday sharpened his appeal for state and federal aid by presenting steep new cost projections for the tens of thousands of migrants in New York City’s care.

“If we don’t get the support we need, New Yorkers could be left with a $12 billion bill,” he said in a formal address to the public from City Hall.

The $12 billion is the estimate by summer of 2025 if the flow of migrants continues apace with current numbers, Adams said. Administration officials had previously forecast that the cost would reach more than $4 billion by next summer. The new estimation of $4 billion annually for three years, is a significant portion of the city’s budget that is currently $107 billion. By comparison, the NYPD’s annual budget this year is $5.8 billion.

https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/09/eric-adams-new-york-migrants-cost-00110472

[Passages]

2. Work permits. The Republican Party will do everything they can to

make sure the issues are never resolved in congress.

[MichMan]

3. NY state is planning on issuing their own

NEW YORK - Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Tuesday that the state is considering granting migrants state-level work permits, circumventing federal law.

Right now, migrants have to wait at least 180 days after applying for asylum before they can receive a work permit.

"This would be unprecedented," Hochul said.

How this would work is unclear right now and would almost definitely be challenged in court, but Hochul says she is discussing a proposal with her attorneys.

https://www.nysenate.gov/newsroom/in-the-news/2023/luis-r-sepulveda/nyc-migrant-crisis-hochul-explores-state-level-work#:~:text=NEW%20YORK%20-%20Governor%20Kathy%20Hochul%20announced%20on,asylum%20before%20they%20can%20receive%20a%20work%20permit.

[Passages]

4. She is right to put the policy in motion. If it lands in court, so be it.