Myths and facts about immigrants

Undocumented immigrants pay taxes, they're not eligible for welfare programs, they have rights protected by the US Constitution, they are taxpayers.

Undocumented immigrants pay taxes in two ways -- income and sales taxes. In 2004, officials of the U.S. Social Security Administration testified that the Social Security Administration estimates undocumented immigrants paid about approximately $420 billion into the Social Security system. They have no way to claim the money, which was paid into the system using faked Social Security numbers. Immigrants, illegal or legal, buy things and pay sales taxes. Some undocumented immigrants also have tax numbers instead of Social Security numbers and pay taxes that way.

Mary and Joseph Were "Undocumented"

In Matthew Chapter 2, Jesus' family was forced to flee from Herod, who had ordered that all the baby boys in their hometown be murdered. Joseph and Mary fled to Egypt, where they were probably regarded as asylum seekers or illegal immigrants. Either way, these strangers struggling to get by in a foreign land could certainly be called "undocumented workers."

As a Christian and a lawmaker, biblical stories like these form something of a lens through which I try to find focus when making public policy decisions. That story has become important to me as anti-immigrant bills and sentiment have gained a disturbing momentum in Austin over the last few weeks.

Get moving on immigration reform

Obama can begin by instructing the Department of Homeland Security to use prosecutorial discretion when deciding which immigrants will be hauled into the overburdened immigration court system. And the administration should help the undocumented spouses and relatives of U.S. citizens by allowing those who have applied for green cards to remain in the U.S. while their cases are reviewed.