text: why do americans believe that illegals pay taxes? if an illegal immigrant is working as a documented citizen that means that they have stolen someone else's livelihood, and most of them don't pay the taxes, they just let them build up until the irs goes after the person who's identity was stolen. believe me, i know it for a fact.  my husband and i are still fighting not to pay the back taxes owed by two of the illegals working under his name, out of the four that we know about. they don't pay the taxes, and they expect americans to do it for them. you got it!  the irs comes after you and not the illegal.  besides, their ssns are someone else's.