Social Security new weapon in illegal immigration battle

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Wire Services Debate heats up over Social Security for illegal immigrants By LARRY WHEELER and MIKE MADDEN Gannett News Service WASHINGTON - Social Security could be the newest weapon in the political debate over illegal immigration. Conservative bloggers and their allies in Congress are sounding alarms over a pending agreement with Mexico that would make some Mexican workers and their families eligible for Social Security benefits. Critics of the plan warn that millions of illegal Mexican immigrants will soon be pulling down fat Social Security checks. Their doomsday rhetoric has prompted a spate of bills in Congress to prevent such a scenario. "There is no question this would be a huge net drain on the American Social Security surplus," said Rep. Tom Feeney, a Florida Republican. "This is just an incentive for more illegals to come here." Feeney is one of 36 House members who have signed on to a bill that would block the agreement if President Bush signs it. U.S. and Mexican government officials approved the agreement in 2004, but it won't take effect unless signed by Bush and Mexican President Felipe Calderon. More than half of the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States now are Mexican, according to research by the Pew Hispanic Center. Bush isn't expected to act on the proposed agreement with Mexico soon, according to Social Security Administration spokesman Mark Lassiter. The agreement alone wouldn't allow Social Security payments to Mexicans who paid Social Security taxes to the U.S. while here illegally. But some lawmakers are crafting immigration reform legislation that could entitle those workers to benefits. The workers could claim credit for the taxes they paid while here illegally if they document their work history through old pay stubs or tax receipts. A similar provision allowed many immigrants to get Social Security credit after an illegal immigration amnesty in 1986. Advocates for immigrants, who pushed for the pending agreement, said they've heard little about it since then. "It boggles the imagination that somebody would say, 'Thank you for paying into the system, but sorry, we're going to take that money and never give you credit for it,"' said Charles Kuck, first vice president of the American Immigration Lawyers Association." The agreement with Mexico would cost billions, but a reliable, exact estimate isn't available. Many immigrants working here illegally use fake Social Security cards. In 2003, the government collected more than $7 billion in payroll taxes on $58.5 billion in wages that don't match a valid Social Security number. Most of that money was generated by immigrants working illegally, some experts say. The "totalization" agreement that U.S. and Mexican officials approved in 2004 would eliminate dual Social Security taxes for workers who spend time employed in both countries. And it would let workers who paid into the U.S. and Mexican retirement systems merge their work histories to qualify for benefits, even if they hadn't worked enough years in either country individually to qualify there. The U.S. has similar agreements with 21 other nations, including Canada and most of Europe. But conservatives say the agreement with Mexico is far different because of the potential flood of Social Security claims. "We should get out of the deal," said Marti Dinerstein, a fellow at the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates reducing both legal and illegal immigration. "The time to do it is surely before the White House gets its hands on it, because I am very afraid that if the president gets it, he'll sign it." White House aides did not return calls for comment. The fury among conservative circles reflects growing distrust over Bush's handling of immigration, one of the few issues where the White House and the new Democratic leaders in Congress largely agree. Bush supports providing immigrants who came here illegally with a path to citizenship. How the Social Security agreement with Mexico would work The proposed "totalization" agreement between the U.S. and Mexico would: