Thirteen years ago Pedro Zapeta left Guatemala and immigrated to the Stuart Florida area. No green card, no visa, he just came to the US to make money he could use to improve the life of his family when he returned to his home country.
For eleven years he worked washing dishes in a number of restaurants, living as cheaply as possible. He earned $5.50 per hour, later increased to $5.75 per hour. At the end of the eleven years he had saved $59,000 and decided he had enough to return to Guatemala. The link to the full story is posted below.
His plan fell apart when he went to the Fort Lauderdale airport to catch a flight home, the $59,000 stuffed into a duffel bag. Security personnel noticed the cash and Customs officers were called. They confiscated the cash, turning Pedro over to Immigration officers. Pedro freely admits that he was working illegally and never paid any taxes one his earnings.
For the past two years he has been trying to get his money back from the US government and has refused a settlement that would allow him to keep part of the money, and some $ 9,000 in donations raised for him, in return for his promise to leave the country.
If Pedro worked 50 hours per week at $5.50 per hour, he would have earned about $14,300 per year. Saving $59,000, about $5,400 per year for eleven years is an extraordinary feat for anyone, even those earning much more. If he had paid his income and social security taxes, about $1,500 per year for a single person, he would have still had about $40,000 after eleven years. Since he did not have a Social Security number he could not open a bank account and earn interest on his savings, which would have offset most, if not all, of his income and SS taxes.
We all know the facts; he violated immigration and tax laws, but what about the businesses that employed him? They violated the law by hiring an illegal immigrant, failing to withhold income and SS taxes as required by law. Over the eleven-year period his employers saved at least $12,000 by not paying their portion of SS taxes on his earnings. I believe that the employers can be fined thousands of dollars each year for failing to report his earnings to the IRS and for failing to ensure he was eligible for employment in the US.
What are the human dimensions of this situation? What do you think is fair and ethical treatment for illegal immigrants that violate the law? How much money should Pedro be able to take home to Guatemala? What punishment would fit the crime?
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Comments: 8
Since Pedro has integrated himself into American society and his one "crime", so to speak, was not paying his taxes on his earnings, why not enable him the opportunity to become a legitimate citizen or dual citizenship? No matter what, he should be allowed to keep his earnings. Other than his legal residency status, he earned that money, take no more out in taxes than what he would have had to pay if he was legal. The employer bears the burden of this, in my opinion.
This has nothing to do with what he earned or anything else.
Ignorance ot the law is no excuse.
Now then, after knowing all that what can he do to get his money back is the issue.
I challenge those of you who are citizens, and do not pay your taxes, to go to court and try and get a portion of YOUR money back in a settlement...or an agreement that deals with money you owe....you can go to jail or have your assets taken in the amount due.....the immigrant just goes back to their own country - no jail time ....
It is said our country is built on christian values...and I agree there needs to be compassion for others who live under tyrany...or in war zones...but the freedom we have in this country has a price and we all pay it...if not - we should not have the privilege to live here.
I often wonder what my penalty would of been if I was an illegal?