RUSH: Tom in Thousand Palms, California. Great to have you on the EIB Network. Hello.

CALLER: Rush, how are you? It’s a pleasure to talk to you. I actually got to meet you the last time you came out here and played in the Bob Hope. You were kind enough to spend some time and walk with me from tee to green. It was right after you got your cochlear implant, and I just want the people to know that you’re every bit the gentleman and kind soul that you sound like you are.

RUSH: You’re gonna destroy my image out there, Tom.

CALLER: I don’t want to do that.

RUSH: No, no, no. Thank you very much. I appreciate that.

CALLER: You bet. You bet. Well, I do have the 30-second spot, or the 60-second spot. Last night on the CBS affiliate, and I’ve pulled it up on the Internet so your folks can verify, it’s come to light how many illegals are getting tax refunds without even a Social Security number, and they’re having the money sent from our Treasury straight into Mexico to the tune of over $4 billion, Rush. They don’t even have a Social Security number. They claim all these people that are living in their house, and they’re not. There was actually a tax preparer that tried —

RUSH: Where did you see this?

CALLER: It came through the Internet on an e-mail from a CBS affiliate, and I’m sorry because while I was waiting for you I had to go make a delivery, I have a small business here, so I pulled away from — but if you Google it right now and put “illegals” —

RUSH: I’m familiar with the story that the last couple of weeks ago, three weeks, that IRS refund checks are going to illegals. I did not know it had totaled $4 billion. I had not heard that number. I read so much, I scan the stuff, and I remember seeing the story that illegals are getting credit for dependent children, is how it’s being done, that don’t have Social Security numbers. But I didn’t know it was $4 billion. I shouldn’t be surprised, should I?

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: I got some questions during the top of the hour: “How in the world do these illegals get all this tax-refund money?” Here’s what they basically did. “The scheme…” It’s not the earned-income tax credit. “The scheme involves illegal immigrants that are filing tax returns,” which is okay. They can file a tax return. What they’re doing is “claiming child credits for multiple dependents” in their — quote, unquote “their” — US household, “and collecting enormous cash refunds,” because not enough has been withheld from their paychecks and they’ve got all these dependents.

But on their W-4 they didn’t put enough dependents down. So, for example, one illegal immigrant’s tax return “showed income of over $14,000, [and they] collected a cash refund of over $10,300,” because of all the dependents that were not accounted for in the withholding table during each pay period. This actually was uncovered by TV reporter in Indianapolis at the NBC affiliate, Bob Segall. It’s S-e-g-a-l-l. (I don’t know if I’m pronouncing had you seen name right.)

But his “investigation revealed that claims for additional child tax credits by ITIN filers,” illegal immigrant filers, “have skyrocketed during the past decade — from $161 million in 2001 to” a total amount represented the form of credits, cash refunds that total “$4.2 billion in tax year 2010.” So the imaginary children of illegal immigrants — ’cause they’re claiming dependents that may or may not live with them, that may or may not be in the house — collect a total of $4.2 billion.

The same investigative reporter “also found that illegal immigrants filed 3.02 million tax returns in 2010, with 72% of those returns (2.18 million) claiming the additional child tax credit.” And, furthermore, according to the report from the TV reporter, “[T]he IRS says it can’t change the system unless it gets permission from Congress; and closing this loophole requires lawmakers to pass a new law specifically excluding illegal immigrants from claiming additional child tax credits.”

Well, I don’t think that’s gonna happen, do you? Particularly this year. Do you see anybody in an election year passing a new law excluding illegal immigrants from claiming additional child tax credits? “It would be un-American to do that! Why, the next thing you know the Republicans will want to take away their health care. The next thing you know the Republicans will want ’em fired and deported! Why, the next thing you know…” So we just have to live with it out there, folks: $4.2 billion for tax year 2010 in cash payments to illegals for their quote, unquote, “child dependents.”