Amnesty Could Grant Illegal Immigrants $2.1Bln in Tax Benefits - US Senator

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Up to four million illegal immigrants to be granted amnesty under US President Barack Obama’s executive action on immigration could retroactively receive a tax credit costing the US government $2.1 billion, US Senator Dan Coats said on Wednesday.

“If this amnesty plan moves forward, up to four million illegal individuals will be granted Social Security numbers,” Coats said on the US Senate floor. “Being granted a Social Security number triggers certain benefits, including eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit for up to three prior years and future tax-filing years.”

The Earned Income Tax Credit gives low-income families tax breaks, which if applied to the four million immigrants would cost the US government $2.1 billion, according to the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation.

Coats argued the US Congress should help ensure that legal immigrants to the United States can benefit from opportunities they need to succeed. “This doesn’t include rewarding those who are gaming our immigration system to receive benefits that they do not legally qualify for,” he said.

In November President Obama signed an executive order on immigration that would grant nearly four million illegal immigrants temporary amnesty from deportation. The executive action has since been blocked by a court pending a US Justice Department appeal.