NORFOLK, Va. — Virginia's undocumented immigrant population paid approximately $690 million in state and local taxes, according to the most recent study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.
The findings are an update to the last ITEP study on the topic released in 2017.
According to co-author Marco Guzman, the study, published this week, took roughly 6 months to gather information.
In Virginia, there are roughly a quarter million undocumented immigrants. If this population pool attained legal status, they would contribute an additional $167 million in taxes to the state.
“We don’t take a side on the immigration debate, we just really hope this report sheds light on often overlooked part of an immigration policy debate," Guzman told 13News Now. "Which is the taxes they pay to the federal government through payroll and local taxes."
Nationwide, undocumented immigrants paid close to $100 billion in federal state and local taxes in 2022.
Undocumented immigrants also face a higher tax rate in Virginia at 7.9% than the 7.2% incurred by the state's top 1% of taxpayers.
The full report can be read here.