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This is a matter which needs to be corrected NOW!!!

Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns about undocumented immigrants' ability to benefit from tax credits. I appreciate the time you took to write, and I welcome the opportunity to respond.

Please know that the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-193) established that, except for a small number of emergency services, undocumented immigrants are ineligible to receive federal public benefits, including welfare and health services.

While they are not eligible for federal benefits, a large number of undocumented immigrants still pay taxes. According to an April 2011 report by the Immigration Policy Center, households headed by undocumented immigrants paid $11.2 billion in state and local taxes in 2010. California alone received more than 2.7 billion dollars in tax revenue from undocumented immigrants.

At the same time, I recognize that undocumented immigrants are able to claim the additional child tax credit. As you note, the Inspector General for Tax Administration at the U.S. Department of the Treasury found that, in 2010, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) distributed $4.2 billion in additional child tax credits to individuals not authorized to work in the United States.

I believe this complicated situation only underscores the need for comprehensive immigration reform. Reforms should be sensible and fair, meet the needs of families and workers, provide effective enforcement and security at the borders, improve immigrant detentions, and offer a pathway to earned citizenship that requires undocumented immigrants to pay taxes and fines, pass background checks, and learn English.

Again, thank you for your letter. Be assured that I will keep your views in mind should the Senate consider related legislation. If you have any additional comments or questions, please do not hesitate to contact my Washington, D.C. office at (202) 224-3841.

Sincerely yours, Dianne Feinstein United States Senator