Most illegals are in fact paying taxes. Some ridiculously small percentage of illegals (I seem to recall 10% but could be wrong) are paid under the table because employers simply can't afford to expose themselves in that way. They need plausible deniability. So to maintain a veneer of legality, their employers require the illegals to provide a TIN (i.e. SSN), and they provide one that's either made-up or that belongs to someone else. Most of them are making so little money that they are eligble for a complete refund of all income taxes they've paid, or would be if they were legal, but since they don't want to draw attention to themselves (and have invalid TINs anyway) they can't claim their refunds from the IRS. The same applies to state and local income taxes, of course -- and everyone, legal or not, pays sales taxes, property taxes, etc. It is simply incorrect to say that these people are contributing "nothing" -- many of them are contributing much more than citizens at the same income level.
I've heard that claimed, and I'd like to know more.
I have to admit that I'm skeptical. Sales tax, sure, if you live in a state that has it then it's impossible to avoid. But income taxes? While I can see large employers like construction companies doing the CYA bit with fake SSNs, I kinda doubt that most small businesses even bother. They seem more likely to just quietly pay in cash, just like many of them do with their non-illegal employees.
I have to admit that I'm skeptical. Sales tax, sure, if you live in a state that has it then it's impossible to avoid. But income taxes? While I can see large employers like construction companies doing the CYA bit with fake SSNs, I kinda doubt that most small businesses even bother. They seem more likely to just quietly pay in cash, just like many of them do with their non-illegal employees.