Immigration Reform Is Smart Tax Reform

April 15th. Tax Day. A day we like to know our government is thinking about how it can make better use of our tax dollars.

One key opportunity lies in comprehensive immigration reform. That's right ... comprehensive immigration reform that is tough, fair, and practical, and will improve our national and economic security.

Comprehensive immigration reform will bring a 10-year $1.5 trillion cumulative boost in our nation's gross domestic product and expand nearly every sector of the U.S. economy. It will increase tax revenues by cracking down on dishonest employers who do not pay taxes. And it will require illegal immigrants to register, pay taxes, and earn the privilege of citizenship.

Comprehensive immigration reform will also increase personal income and generate $4.5 billion to $5.4 billion in additional tax revenues during the first three years alone. And it will increase consumer spending that supports jobs and creates tax revenues.

But some politicians prefer the current system of law enforcement officers searching every job site, every house, in every state, and town in America. In hopes of finding, arresting, detaining, and transporting 11 million undocumented men, women, and children.

But there's a real cost to this effort. In fact, this mass deportation plan will cost American taxpayers $285 billion to carry out and enforce over five years. That would mean an extra $922 in taxes for every man, woman, and child in the United States. And it would damage the U.S. economy. This strategy will cause our economy to lose $2.6 trillion in cumulative GDP over the next 10 years.

This is not a good use of our tax dollars. And this is not the real America.

We can either generate $1.5 trillion cumulative boost in the gross domestic product or lost $2.6 trillion by deporting everyone. A tax revenue versus a tax cost. It's $4 trillion choice for U.S. taxpayers.

Let's help our economy by enacting comprehensive immigration reform. That is truly American.