Under current law, people who worked illegally in the U.S. can only become eligible for Social Security benefits by becoming citizens or legal permanent residents.
But officials at the State Department and Social Security Administration (SSA) are preparing a plan that would pay benefits to illegal aliens who have returned to Mexico.Even if a Mexican citizen had not worked in the U.S. long enough to qualify for benefits, the number of years worked in Mexico would be added to the total, thus making him or her eligible to receive a monthly check from the U.S. government
In its first year alone, the SSA expects that the plan will trigger 37,000 new claims.
Such an agreement would further strain Social Security at a time when concerns about a shortfall are rising and would add hundreds of thousands of Mexican citizens to the rolls just as the baby-boom generation is about to begin retiring in droves.
“Under the terms of this proposal, an alien who entered the U.S. illegally, violated our employment laws, worked fewer than the required number of years to be eligible for Social Security, and then returned to Mexico could collect full U.S. Social Security benefits—while living in Mexico,” says Dan Stein. “All the while, our children are being told that the Social Security system may be drained dry by the time they retire.”
In 1996, Congress barred illegal aliens from claiming Social Security benefits, but this treaty would invalidate that law.
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