The Immigrant Tax Inquiry Group (ITIG) is proposing a plan that would call for illegal immigrants to pay a small portion of the money they earn in order to stay in the U.S. The idea was outlined in an op-ed for the The Hill this morning, by the group’s spokesman.
ITIG is a non-profit that says its goal is the breaking the gridlock that exists around immigration policy. The group is calling for a renewable 10-year work permit for illegal immigrants. This would be called a REALcard (Respect, Equality, Accountability and Legality). Illegal immigrants would earn this card by contributing five cents for every dollar they receive working in the U.S. And that contribution would be matched by employers. That simple plan, the group says, would generate $210 billion over a 10-year period which the country could then put to use in other areas of need.
The group touts the proposal as a third way forward in the immigration debate eschewing both mass citizenship and mass deportation. It also addresses the financial aspect of illegal immigration. The group says that Americans and American companies benefit from the cheap labor of illegal immigrants but it’s the taxpayers that bear the cost. They also point out that the Department of Homeland Security needs an additional $3 billion to implement more advanced biometric identification security measures like, like fingerprinting and eye scans. The funds generated by the plan could help cover those costs.
“Successful immigration reform can happen if responsibility is placed where it should be: on the shoulders of the immigrants themselves and those who employ them,” the group says.