Oops! The Washington Post once again mistakenly wrote "immigrants" in its headline where it meant to say "illegal aliens." The post reports that "experts estimate that the IRS stands to lose up to $479 billion over the next decade as immigrants face deportation and disengage from the formal economy." Wait, can you do that? We already paid our taxes; we didn't know you could just "disengage from the formal economy." The Post also calls it "willingly engaging in the tax system," and if the Trump administration allows the IRS to share data with ICE, that will discourage undocumented immigrants from filing tax returns.
Did the experts estimate how much the federal government will spend over the next decade to feed, house, and educate these undocumented immigrants?
The Trump administration’s decision to reverse the practice of keeping IRS information walled off and encourage undocumented immigrants to file tax returns has led to a marked decline in the number of immigrants willing to engage in the tax system. https://t.co/c0ch7tndD9
— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) April 15, 2026
Marissa J. Lang reports:
Immigrants who are not legally authorized to work in the United States still do so — and many opt to pay into the tax system through a federal individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) that is available to people who don’t have Social Security numbers. Federal data shows that as of 2021, there were 5.4 million active ITIN users, though not all are assigned to undocumented immigrants.
Historically, having a record that shows a willingness to work within the system, pay taxes and contribute meaningfully to the community has benefited immigrants as they apply for legal status in the U.S.
Now, an overriding fear of what could happen with such exposure has overtaken the desire to demonstrate a long-term pattern of good behavior, experts and tax professionals said.
Wow, many opt to pay into the tax system. That's what The Post calls "good behavior." And scaring away these immigrants could cost hundreds of billions.
Didn’t know folks willingly engaged in the tax system, thought it was mandatory
— OldLawyer 🇺🇸🇮🇱⚖️✡️ (@Zuk_DC) April 15, 2026
the only way illegals "engage in the tax system" is through identity theft
— VJ Maxwell 📡 (@vortmax79) April 15, 2026
If they were illegal, how were they interacting with the IRS?
— Limoguy 57 (@limoguy97653) April 15, 2026
So Americans are required to to “engage” in the tax system while illegals decide if they want to or not?
— Common Sense (@Gomo8) April 15, 2026
If illegals have a SSN to file taxes, they have a way to getting all the benefits also.
— Clara Winslow (@clara_winslow) April 15, 2026
Thanks for exposing this WaPo. I know it wasn’t your intent.
Are you claiming that illegal immigrants are no longer filing 1040's with the IRS on the money they earned illegally?
— Officer Bill 🍌🇮🇱🐕🍸 (@officerbill) April 15, 2026
And that’s what is called tax evasion. The only way an illegal can do taxes legally is through an ITIN otherwise their SSNs are fraudulent or they will say “not valid for employment” at the bottom
— AM3 (@adam3ptk) April 15, 2026
We don’t want their tax money we want them deported
— American Kulak (@AmericanKulakX) April 15, 2026
Then they are tax cheats and thats just another reason to get them the hell out of here.
— BigJuicyBootay (@BootayJuicy) April 15, 2026
It's nice that people living and working here illegally have the option to "opt in" or "engage with" the tax system. Who are the experts The Washington Post consulted with on this story? The Cato Institute?
***