Social Security and Immigration
History of Social Security Started in 1935 under FDR Payments to elderly and disabled based on past earnings Current workers’ pay pays for current elderly and disabled’s payments ½ workers’ contributions, ½ employers’ contributions
Do Immigrants Receive More in Benefits than They Pay into Benefit Schemes? Immigrants younger than US population as a whole Education vs. Social Security Immigrants hurt states’ budgets, but help the federal level
Immigrants and Social Security A third of unauthorized immigrants pay into Social Security through fraudulent SS# or legitimate SS# after losing permission to work While unauthorized immigrants worked and contributed as much as $13 billion in payroll taxes to SS program in 2010, only about $1 billion in benefit payments during 2010 are attributable to unauthorized work (after they regularized their status). Over time, these payments have accumulated to about $1 trillion, helping keep Social Security afloat.