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Tuesday, September 17, 2024

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TX League of Women Voters participates in National Voter Registration Day; Trump's golf outings have long concerned Secret Service; Palm Beach County schools tackle post-pandemic chronic absenteeism; College students press Israeli divestment campaign as the school year begins.

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Washington considers the need to tone down anti-Trump rhetoric. Senate Democrats are likely to force a second vote on a national right to in-vitro fertilization, and Trump allies repeat falsehoods about migrants amid bomb threats in OH.

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Rural voters weigh competing visions about agriculture's future ahead of the Presidential election, counties where economic growth has lagged in rural America are booming post-pandemic, and farmers get financial help to protect their land's natural habitat.

Study: Undocumented immigrants contribute hundreds of millions to VA tax coffers

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Wednesday, August 7, 2024   

A new study sheds light on the tax contributions paid by undocumented immigrants. In Virginia, they contribute nearly $700 million to state and local coffers.

The study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy uses data from the U.S. Census, Bureau of Labor Statistics and other sources.

Freddy Mejia, policy director for the nonprofit Commonwealth Institute, said it is just one way to quantify the effect of the roughly quarter million undocumented immigrants in Virginia.

"Immigrants really strengthen our state," Mejia asserted. "Virginia continues to move forward because of immigrants' economic, social and cultural contributions to each and every one of our communities."

Undocumented immigrants pay sales, property, income and other taxes, yet they cannot access some programs they pay into, including Medicare, Social Security and Unemployment Insurance. The data showed undocumented immigrants would pay an additional $167 million in Virginia taxes if they were granted work authorization.

Mejia pointed out the study highlights barriers for the Commonwealth's immigrant population. For instance, about half of the undocumented children in Virginia do not have health coverage, compared to under 4% of U.S. citizens.

"If we can invest just a portion of that $700 million to health coverage, we can ensure that this next group of workers, of doctors, of lawyers, are able to achieve those dreams and do so with good health and a great education," Mejia urged.


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Early voting for the upcoming general election runs from Oct. 21 to Nov. 1. (Rob Goebel/Adobe Stock)

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