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Immigrants Are Social Security 'Boost' - Study
Hardbeatnews
Febuary 15, 2005
New immigrants, including new U.S. citizens are a Social Security boost.
Legal immigrants from the Caribbean and around the world have impacted the U.S. Social Security system in a significant way.
That's according to a new study set to be released at the National Press Club today. The research, the first of its kind to examine this issue, was done by the National Foundation for American Policy, a D.C.-based non-profit group dedicated to public policy research on trade and immigration among other issues.
NFAP officials say they arrived at the conclusion based on an official analysis provided by the Social Security Administration's Office of the Chief Actuary on the effect on Social Security of five different legal immigration scenarios.
Stuart Anderson, the author of the report, performed additional calculations to arrive at revenue estimates for legal immigrants' contributions to the Social Security system.
Anderson will be joined by U.S. Representative Chris Cannon (R-UT), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, for the unveiling of the study at 10 a.m. today at the Murrow Room of the National Press Club.
The study's authors did not reveal actual numbers last night but said the research was prompted mainly because Social Security and immigration are now two of the top issues currently being discussed on Capitol Hill.
It comes on the heels of a clash between some Conservative lawmakers and President Bush over the U.S.-Mexico Social Security Totalization Agreement, signed by the two nations last June. Last week, Virginia Rep. Virgil Goode introduced a resolution co-sponsored by 25 fellow Republicans urging Bush not to submit the agreement to Congress.
The United States already has similar agreements with 20 other countries. They are intended to ensure that workers who spend part of their careers overseas and pay into another country's retirement funds, qualify for full Social Security benefits in whichever country they eventually retire.
But Goode was quoted by Reuters news as saying, "It will be a drain on the Social Security trust fund. We have hordes of illegals here. If they get an amnesty, they'll be able to reap a huge benefit under this agreement." - Hardbeatnews.com
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