Fact vs. Fiction! Illegal Immigrants Are Boosting Social Security, Not Destroy It

MJP –

According to projections, the Social Security Administration would run out of money in 2035 to pay all of the payments owed to Americans unless Congress takes action.

Also, at this month’s presidential debate, former Trump and other notable figures blamed illegal immigrants for robbing the Social Security system.

All these new arrivals, they’re attempting to enroll them in Social Security. Trump made the statement at the Atlanta debate about President Joe Biden, claiming that Biden would eliminate Social Security.

Actually, it’s nearly the inverse of that.

“If anything, we’re gaining from undocumented immigrants,” stated Karen Holden, a professor emerita of public affairs and consumer science at UW–Madison who emphasises Social Security.

Spending Money without receiving any return

Illegal immigrants often work “off the books.” They are a financial burden for the workers because their employers often pay them in cash without deducting the necessary taxes and insurance premiums. The business owner is also breaking the law.

Emerita professor of public affairs and consumer science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, Karen Holden specializes on Social Security.

Even when their job is legally documented, many unauthorized immigrants nevertheless lack the Social Security number that their employers want. When this occurs, it’s not uncommon for the employee to use a fake or stolen Social Security number.

Unauthorized immigrants, like all citizens, have 6.2% of their paychecks withheld to fund Social Security and 1.45% to fund Medicare.

Mentioned! Social Security in 2025: What Wealthy Seniors Can Expect from the New Structure

Upon reaching the proper age, immigrant workers who have been paid off the books or who have used fraudulent Social Security documents are not eligible to collect benefits from either program, unlike natives. Essentially, they are putting money into the system but not getting anything out of it.

Social Security, according to Holden, “is a system that has set up barriers to make it very difficult for somebody without a Social Security number or with a false Social Security number to get benefits.” The program was created in the 1930s by a legislative researcher from Wisconsin.

To get benefits, your Social Security number must be identical to the one the Social Security Administration generates.

Bringing in billions for the infrastructure

The nonprofit Migration Policy Institute estimates that there are around 70,000 undocumented immigrants residing in Wisconsin.

The Pew Research Center estimates that there are around 10.5 million people in the United States. Research shows that they put over $10 billion (yes, billion) into Social Security and even more into Medicare each year.

Double Social Security Payments Coming: What You Need to Know About This Year-End Surprise

In contrast, annual incorrect payments, including fraud and payments to the dead, amount to approximately $3 billion, according to the Social Security Administration.

According to Holden, it is against the law to try to withdraw Social Security benefits without the necessary paperwork, and if detected, one could face deportation. Any undocumented immigrant thinking about applying for those benefits would be very discouraged by that threat.

Meanwhile, the Social Security Administration claims to be keeping a close eye on the system. Audits, investigations, system vulnerability searches, and improvement recommendations are some of the ways the Office of the Inspector General seeks out and prevents fraud.

The founder of Social Security, Edwin Witte, was a lifelong Wisconsinite and head of the state’s Legislative Research Library. A former UW student and assistant secretary of labor was requested by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to establish a social safety net program in the early 1930s.

In order to create the program, Arthur Altmeyer, the assistant secretary, sought out Witte, who had served as chief of Wisconsin’s Legislative Research Library and was considered the state’s authority on legislation drafting. In 1935, Roosevelt gave the lawful stamp of approval to the Social Security Act.