Forget federal government, we'll build fence ourselves!
Drew Zahn
Plan makes illegal immigrants pay for states to secure U.S. border
A Mississippi legislator has caught on to an idea that if the federal government won't complete a border fence separating the United States from Mexico, the states will – and he's planning on taxing illegal immigrants to fund it.
Republican State Sen. Joey Fillingane has filed S.B. 2255, which would charge a fee on all money transfers wired out of the United States, then count the amount as a credit on Mississippi citizens' tax returns. The result: Only illegal immigrants sending money abroad would ultimately pay the fees, since they cannot file tax returns to receive a refund.
The net revenue from the non-refunded fees, S.B. 2255 specifies, would then be sent to states like Arizona and Texas for construction of a border fence.
"It's a very novel idea and certainly a departure from the thinking that the border is the federal government's responsibility," Fillingane told southern Mississippi's SunHerald. "I think this is the kind of idea, if it takes root, it takes time to educate people on it and then let them marinate on the idea. Just because we have never done something before, certainly doesn't mean we can't or shouldn't."
Fillingane admits the idea wasn't even his originally, but was presented to him through a tea-party group called the Mississippi Patriots.
A video explaining the bill, produced by the Mississippi Patriots and including a radio interview with Fillingane, can be seen below: