I am definitely in the group that wants to end immigration or bring it down to net zero.
Immigration is a net loser for the Social Security program even though most immigrants will never be able to collect payments.
Too many immigrants get paid in cash and never pay any income taxes at all.
Some legal immigrants do collect payments, in particular, social security disability payments. They have not been in this country long enough to offset those payments with tax contributions.
Too many immigrants collect payments from other welfare systems which greatly exceed any taxes they may ever pay.
Social Security was always a "Ponzi" scheme. It cannot be fixed. The bill has come due. The problem will be solved mostly by inflation that exceeds benefit increases. And by benefit caps. And by "means testing" and surtaxes on benefits. And by the passing of the baby boomer generation.
Some relevant research on the issue I hope you will find helpful:
The overall percentage of U.S. working-age adults (ages 16 and older) who are employed—known as the employment-population ratio—is 59.1%. Bureau of Labor Statistics (.gov) +1
About 19% of the U.S. workforce consists of foreign-born workers, and the labor force participation rate for immigrants is approximately 66.6%, which is higher than the 61.8% rate for native-born Americans [sadly mainly due to one cultural demographic]. USAFacts +1 https://usafacts.org/articles/how-many-immigrants-are-in-the-american-workforce/
Race / Ethnicity
Percentage Employed Hispanic or Latino (Any race) ~67.0% Asian ~63.0% White (Total) ~60.0% Black or African American ~60.0% American Indian / Alaska Native ~56.0%
Racial and Ethnic Breakdown of Child SSI Recipients
Race / Ethnicity Share of All Child SSI Recipients White, non-Hispanic 33.1% Black, non-Hispanic 29.4% Hispanic (any race) 21.0% Some Other Race, non-Hispanic 14.5% Asian, non-Hispanic 1.9% 🔍 Key Demographic DisparitiesWhile White children make up the largest absolute number of recipients, looking at the wider child population reveals major differences in how frequently different groups utilize the program:
- Disproportionate Enrollment Among Black Children: Non-Hispanic Black children represent approximately 13.8% of the total U.S. child population, yet they account for nearly 30% of all children receiving SSI. Public policy researchers attribute this disparity to a higher rate of severe childhood poverty and systemic differences in health outcomes.
Community Legal Services - Philadelphia +2- Lower Enrollment Among Hispanic and Asian Children: Hispanic children make up over 25% of all U.S. children but represent only 21% of SSI recipients. Asian children make up roughly 5.4% of the U.S. child population but make up less than 2% of the recipient pool. Advocacy groups point out that systemic language barriers and limited outreach to immigrant families often create obstacles when applying for benefits.
Social Security Administration (.gov) +3
In response to blaiming immigration for US problems, I asked what would the birth rate have to have been to have the same us population as now without immigration
If the goal is to retroactively match today's actual population total (roughly 350 million) without the tens of millions of residents and descendants added by immigration since 1965, a temporary surge to a much higher fertility rate (historically akin to the baby boom era peaks of over 3.5 children per woman) would have been required across prior decades