[anigbrowl]

First, illegal immigrants (which is who we seem to be talking about here) don't have permission to work, which is why they work under the table. Under the 1994 IIRIRA law, it's virtually impossible to get a work permit if you don't have one when you arrive.

Second, they are not eligible for benefits, of any kind. Children who are born here to immigrants are eligible for benefits, because the children are American citizens, and also children who are brought into the country as children are allowed to attend school etc., because being children they were below the age of legal responsibility at time of entry.

Third, a lot of immigrants do pay taxes. Some use someone else's social security #, in which taxes are withheld but don't benefit them, some people work with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, which is like an SSN but not the same and which the IRS gives to people who are liable for US taxes but not eligible for an SSN. The usual way people file with an ITIn is as self-=employed, in which case they pay both the employer and employee portion of payroll taxes (which normally go into social security) but accrue no benefits for doing so.

Some people get tax benefits through the Earned Income Tax Credit which is a payment to people who work but have a low income, I think this amounts to something like $4 billion a year, against about $10bn paid in. It may be they're eligible for the EITC because a tax credit is not considered a benefit for legal purposes but I've never looked into that so I might be wrong.

[tsotha]

>Second, they are not eligible for benefits, of any kind.

That's not true at all. When California tried to cut off state benefits for illegals a federal judge force the state to reinstate them. Illegals send their (illegal) kids to school, even college, at taxpayer expense. They take advantage of community medical services, live in subsidized housing, and get assigned public defenders. That's just what they're entitled to under the law.

But if they have enough forged documentation to get a job they have enough to get food stamps and WIC too. Some of them do, though for political reasons the government isn't trying to figure out how many or how they could be stopped.

[anigbrowl]

The things you mention do not count as benefits. I already addressed the education issues above. Things like public defenders are not restricted to the citizenry, a tourist who is arrested is entitled to a public defender same as anyone else.For clarity by 'benefit' I am talking specifically about transfer payments, I'm sorry for not making that clearer.