Norma Torres: “President Biden inherited a dismantled and gutted immigration system. The prior administration's strategy of cruelty…”

“President Biden inherited a dismantled and gutted immigration system. The prior administration's strategy of cruelty, chaos, and confusion was ineffective and set the stage for our current challenges. I include in the Record a March 15 Columbus Dispatch article titled ``Undocumented immigrants pay billions in taxes each year--and have been for 25 years.'' [From the Columbus Dispatch, Mar. 15, 2021] Undocumented Immigrants Pay Billions in Taxes Each Year--and Have Been for 25 Years (By Danae King) Every year, Arturo pays thousands of dollars in taxes from the revenue produced by his central Ohio-based painting company. But he will never receive Social Security benefits. Or Medicare. Or Medicaid. That's because Arturo, whose last name is not being used for his safety, is an undocumented immigrant from Mexico--one of about 6 million who pay taxes annually, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Jorge Beltran is a Columbus tax preparer who is certified by the IRS to file taxes for undocumented immigrants. He hopes to shatter misconceptions about immigrants not paying taxes and being drains on society. A report from the office shows that 50% to 75% of undocumented immigrants pay billions in taxes each year--and have been since the Internal Revenue Service created a program 25 years ago allowing people without a Social Security number to file taxes.…”