As tax filing deadline approaches and as the Minutemen Project assembles in southern Arizona, one can’t help but put taxes into perspective for undocumented immigrants. The New York Times published an article highlighting the amounts pumped into the Social Security coffers, from invalid SS Numbers, labeled as “Earnings Suspense File” meaning that one day the government can figure out who they belong to.
Not surprisingly, Mr. Martínez, 28, has not given much thought to Social Security’s long-term financial problems. But Mr. Martínez – who comes from the state of Oaxaca in southern Mexico and hiked for two days through the desert to enter the United States near Tecate, some 20 miles east of Tijuana – contributes more than most Americans to the solvency of the nation’s public retirement system.
Last year, Mr. Martínez paid about $2,000 toward Social Security and $450 for Medicare through payroll taxes withheld from his wages. Yet unlike most Americans, who will receive some form of a public pension in retirement and will be eligible for Medicare as soon as they turn 65, Mr. Martínez is not entitled to benefits.
Comments (2)
Multiply those numbers by the millions of people in the same situation and you can see that the Gov. makes a few million dollars towards SS.
With the way SS is standing right now I don’t want to imagine what would happen if all immigrant contributions (those working without valid numbers) stop going into the vaults.
Not millions, but billions of dolares…and they say that immigrants only take, take, take.