Thread: Carter bill targets Social Security credits

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/n ... arter.html

Carter bill targets Social Security credits
Under plan, illegal immigrants would lose earnings before citizenship
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By Tara Copp
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Wednesday, January 10, 2007

WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock, filed a bill Tuesday that would keep illegal immigrants who earn U.S. citizenship from getting credit for the Social Security they paid while working here illegally.

Carter's bill is a response to recent news reports that Congress is warming to a citizenship compromise for illegal immigrants.

Carter said that his bill would not affect any Social Security credit earned after an immigrant becomes a citizen, but it would erase any credit from before.

"If a person works here for five years illegally, then somehow through a program gets a green card, they've already accumulated five years (of credit) while operating in the black market of the American system," Carter said. "I have made it pretty clear that I don't believe we should be rewarding criminal behavior in any form or fashion."

Carter said he recognizes that illegal immigrants contribute an estimated $5 billion annually to Social Security, or an estimated $1,687 per illegal household. Illegal immigrants are not eligible to receive Social Security. Carter said that if they became eligible, their draw on the system would create another challenge to providing for aging baby boomers.

Losing the past credits would be "the cost of doing illegal business," Carter said.

Lisa Navarrete, a spokeswoman for the National Council of La Raza, a Latino civil rights group, said she is "cautiously optimistic" that Congress and the White House will reach agreement on a citizenship program. She said that Carter's bill would only go into effect if a citizenship program is agreed to, effectively putting Carter in the position of "denying U.S. citizens the money they have earned."

tcopp@statesman.com; (202) 887-8329

Please we need to write and call our own State's US Congressmen and Senators and ask them to support Rep Carter's bill!