For Immediate Release:
"If the Bush Administration stays on course, the so-called Mexican Social Security Totalization Agreement will transfer untold billions of dollars in benefits from Americans who have faithfully paid their taxes to millions of non-citizens and illegal aliens" charged Edward Nelson, Chairman of U.S. Border Control.
He continued "This latest act of pandering to Mexican immigrants will begin a stampede across our southern border larger than anything we have ever seen. This action, coupled with proposals of amnesty for millions of Mexicans could threaten the survival of our Social Security Trust Fund, jeopardizing the health and welfare of millions of Americans."
Although the United States currently has totalization agreements with 20 other nations - providing for mutual entitlement, under the respective laws of both nations, to Social Security benefits to citizens of one nation who have worked in the other - all 20 agreements, in the aggregate, average around 5000 workers per country. A similar treaty with Mexico, however, would affect 165,000 workers in the first years and possibly millions more if and when the Bush Administration is successful in granting amnesty to all Mexicans living illegally in the U.S. The estimated drain on the Social Security Trust Fund would be in the billions of dollars.
According to Mr. Nelson, "Social Security benefits should not be paid to individuals not authorized to live and work in the United States. And the law should not be changed to provide such benefits, by treaty or otherwise, particularly where the payment of such benefits would jeopardize the ability of the Social Security Trust Fund to provide all future payments to U.S. citizens who are entitled to receive them."
He continued, "U.S. Border Control sympathizes with law-abiding Mexican citizens, but believes that rewarding those who would thwart U.S. immigration policy, imposing substantial administrative costs on the U.S. government, and then claim a reward from the U.S. Social Security system is both unfair and contrary to sound government policy."
USBC Legal Counsel William J. Olson stated that "Texas Congressman Ron Paul (R-Tex.) has introduced legislation to prohibit the crediting for coverage under the Social Security system wages and self-employment income earned or derived by persons who are neither U.S. citizens nor nationals." (H.R. 489, 108th Congress)
U.S. Border Control is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization, established in 1986, that is dedicated to education of the public on issues related to the protection of the sovereignty of the United States, including the establishment and maintenance of effective border integrity systems, economic policies, national defense practices, and immigration policies focusing on ending illegal immigration by securing the nation's borders and reforming the border and immigration policies.
For more information, contact:
Edward Nelson, USBC President
703-740-8668; ednelson@usbc.org
Ron Pearson, USBC Media Relations
202-547-7177; govtrel@aol.com
U.S. Border Control website
http://www.usbc.org