Illegal Immigrants To Benefit From Tax Rebates

The massive tax-rebate package passed by the House of Representatives this week to stimulate the nation’s economy will also give cash to illegal immigrants who will more than likely send the money home rather than spend it in the United States.

The $150 billion economic stimulus package will send checks to millions of low and middle-income workers with the hope that they’ll stimulate the nation’s reportedly ailing economy buying things. Single people will get a $600 rebate and married couples will get rebates of $1,200 or more if they have children.

The legislation does not, however, contain any provision barring illegal aliens from taking advantage of these benefits and one Republican Representative, who voted against it, says the Democrat-controlled Congress just passed a giveaway for illegal aliens.

Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo says the measure, passed by the House 385 to 35, directs the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to issue the rebate checks to so-called “resident aliens” who don’t need to prove their legal presence in the United States. Resident aliens are classified by the Treasury Department based on how long they have lived in the U.S. and the agency uses unofficial information provided by the alien.

Since the stimulus bill was considered under a procedure in the House that did not allow an amendment to restrict payments to illegal aliens, millions stand to benefit from the measure. That means a large portion of the money will be sent back to the home countries of the illegal immigrants, said Tancredo, who calls this the latest unfortunate example of American workers footing the bill for illegal aliens.