Is this a great country or what? Washington Post:

The Internal Revenue Service allowed undocumented workers to collect $4.2 billion in refundable tax credits last year, a new audit says, almost quadruple the sum five years ago.

Although undocumented workers are not eligible for federal benefits, the report released Thursday by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration concludes that federal law is ambiguous on whether these workers qualify for a tax break based on earned income called the additional child tax credit.

Taxpayers can claim this credit to reduce what they owe in taxes, often getting refunds from the government. The vagueness of federal law may have contributed to the $4.2 billion in credits, the report said.

The IRS said it lacks the authority to disallow the claims.

The IRS a helpless giant? You believe that?

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee, On Friday announced plans to examine the refunds.

"The disconcerting findings in this report demand immediate attention and action from Congress and the Obama Administration," Hatch said in a statement.. "With our debt standing at over $14.5 trillion and counting, it's outrageous that the IRS is handing out refundable tax credits...to those who aren't even eligible to work in this country."

Wage earners who do not have Social Security numbers and are not authorized to work in the United States can use what the IRS calls individual taxpayer identification numbers. Often these result in fraudulent claims on tax returns, auditors found.

Hatch nailed it. The irony is depressing. The IRS will use all of its powers to go after some poor guy who owes a few thousand bucks but won't lift a finger to stop illegals from cheating the government.

Something is wrong with that picture.