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The Trust Project

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A computer illustration showing a rising trend line, stock market listings and cash falling from the sky.
(Photo provided by Gigafact.)

Yes.

Colorado’s 170,000 undocumented immigrants paid $436.5 million dollars in state and local taxes in 2022. Nationwide, undocumented immigrants paid almost $97 billion in taxes. 

In Colorado, sales and property taxes make up the most of payments by undocumented immigrants. Due to ineligibility for tax credits and unclaimed refunds, undocumented immigrants pay higher local tax rates than the top 1% of households in 40 states, including Colorado. The analysis comes from study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a left-leaning nonprofit think tank. 

Out of almost 48 million immigrants in the U.S., an estimated 11 million or 23% are undocumented, Pew Research Center research shows. 

Almost all unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. either entered the country without legal permission or overstayed a nonpermanent visa. Some unauthorized immigrants have legal protections, such as asylum applicants or those who cannot return to their home country due to violence or natural disasters. 

See full source list below.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

The Colorado Sun partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.

References:

Unauthorized immigrants and characteristics for states, 2022, Pew Research Center, July 22, 2024. Source link (download)

Tax Payments by Undocumented Immigrants, Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, July 30, 2024. Source link.

What we know about unauthorized immigrants living in the U.S., Pew Research Center, July 22, 2024. Source link.

What the data says about immigrants in the U.S., Pew Research Center, Sept. 27, 2024. Source link.

Type of Story: Fact-Check

Checks a specific statement or set of statements asserted as fact.

Por recently graduated from CU Boulder with a master’s degree in journalism and is interested in writing about the environment and exploring local stories. When not working on some form of writing, Por is either looking for Thai food or petting...