A group of Hispanic legislators in the United States Congress joined the opposition to a 5% tax on remittances sent by migrants to their families and pointed out that Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum “is right” to reject the proposal.
In a letter signed by 24 of the 48 members of the Hispanic Caucus and sent to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mike Johnson, they detailed that remittances are fundamental to economic development and that they are not “frivolous luxuries” but are vital to covering the needs of food, clothing, education, and housing in countries where these “are often out of reach.”
The document was shared by the Mexican ambassador to the United States, Esteban Moctezuma Barragán, along with a video featuring Adriano Espaillant, leader of the Hispanic Caucus in the House of Representatives.
In the letter, the lawmakers argue that the tax “disproportionately impacts immigrant communities, undermines economic ties with our neighbors in the hemisphere, and contradicts the very principles of economic freedom and personal responsibility that this organization claims to uphold.”
They added that it would affect more than 40 million people, including permanent residents and nonimmigrant visa holders such as H-1B, H-2A, and H-2B workers, and would exempt U.S. citizens, making it discriminatory in practice and punitive in its effects.
