WATCH: Salma Hayek Breaks Down the Billion-Dollar Power of Undocumented Migrants in Viral Video
Salma Hayek has had enough of the disinformation. In a powerful new Instagram post, the Mexican actress and producer breaks down exactly how undocumented immigrants—notably Latinos—are not only contributing to the U.S. economy, but are holding it up.
“I feel that all this information, sometimes instead of clarifying things, creates just more confusion,” Hayek begins in the reel, which blends street interviews and hard economic data. “So I’m gonna share with you some data that I think is gonna blow your mind.”
Salma Hayek wants you to know undocumented immigrants do pay taxes—and more
Hayek highlights a key fact most people don’t know: Undocumented immigrants pay billions in taxes every year. Thanks to the IRS’s Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) program, which was established in 1996, undocumented workers can—and do—file taxes.
In fact, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP), undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022 alone. As Hayek points out, they are not eligible to receive Social Security, Medicare, or unemployment benefits, even though they contributed $33.9 billion to those programs that same year.
The receipts are in: Latino immigrants are economic engines
“If U.S. Latinos were a country,” Hayek says, “we would rank as the fifth-largest economy in the world.” That’s not just a hypothetical. According to the 2024 Latino Donor Collaborative (LDC) U.S. Latino GDP Report™, the Latino GDP hit $3.6 trillion in 2022, outpacing India, the U.K., and France.
The report notes that Latino entrepreneurs are driving this momentum, accounting for 36% of all new businesses in 2023. This surge includes undocumented entrepreneurs, who, despite lacking legal status, continue to innovate, employ others, and pay taxes.
Salma Hayek breaks the “takers vs. makers” myth
A key moment in the video shows people on the street shocked to learn how much undocumented immigrants pay in taxes. One man replies, “You’re kidding me,” after hearing they’ve contributed nearly $100 billion. But Hayek, citing government data, says that perception is a lie: “They are portrayed as takers. But they are makers.”
This aligns with findings from Americans for Tax Fairness and ITEP, which show that undocumented immigrants pay a higher effective tax rate than some billionaires, and more in taxes than Fortune 500 companies combined.
Without undocumented labor, farms—and the economy—would collapse
As Hayek’s video highlights, 48% of the U.S. agricultural workforce is made up of immigrants. Removing them would devastate the food supply chain. “You can’t just say, ‘Hey, I’m gonna get rid of these people,’” a farm owner says in the video. “A lot of farms went out of business.”
Beyond agriculture, undocumented workers form the backbone of industries like construction, hospitality, and food service. According to a report by the American Immigration Council, mass deportations could shrink the U.S. economy by up to $1.7 trillion, worse than the 2008 financial crisis.
Salma Hayek is making sure the receipts go viral
Hayek ends her video by saying, “I hope you found all this data interesting, or at least thought-provoking.” But her message goes beyond just education—it’s about rewriting the narrative. And in an election year when politicians again scapegoat undocumented immigrants, her video feels like a call to wake up and look at the facts.
She’s joined by a wave of economists and advocates who argue that legalizing undocumented immigrants wouldn’t just be fair—it would boost the economy even further. According to recent data, providing work authorization would generate $40 billion more in tax revenue every year.
In other words: Undocumented immigrants aren’t draining the system—they’re sustaining it. And Salma Hayek is using her platform to make sure you know.
