Wow, that the media "wimps" believe their own drivel, I can not even fathom it. "oh they dump in money but wont get any back". HOGWASH. They do dump a small amount (7B) into SS, however, they DRAIN a huge amount (200-300B) each year from the entire system. Hmm, lets see, have someone give me $7 and then pay them $200, does that make economic sense

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http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/ ... 6724c.html

Illegals bolster Soc Sec

Put in 7B a year, never recoup

By LESLIE CASIMIR
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

After Jose snuck across the Mexican border six years ago, one of the first things he did was "buy" a Social Security number at a Queens travel agency.
"I paid about $120 for it," the 46-year-old illegal immigrant from Ecuador said. "I had to - I needed to find work." Using the false number that belongs to someone else, the Brooklyn mechanic puts about $2,000 a year toward Social Security, money he will never see again because people without papers cannot receive federal benefits.

Experts say thousands of immigrants like Jose are helping to keep the Social Security system afloat.

They contribute an estimated $6.5 to $7 billion to Social Security each year, according to researchers and federal government estimates. The money is held in a trust fund called the "earnings suspense file."

President Bush has created a firestorm with his proposal to privatize the Social Security system, warning that if it's not changed, the retirement fund program is heading into bankruptcy.

A top Social Security official acknowledged that if it were not for undocumented immigrants who work with false numbers, the system would be in even worse fiscal shape.

"It is obvious - they are helping us," Social Security chief actuary Stephen Goss said. "If we did not have any of those undocumented immigrants coming in, the size of our shortfall would be about 10% bigger."

And if immigration continues increasing, as expected, the predicted deficits of Social Security would shrink to 1.9% over a 75-year-period, Goss said.

Mauricio Soto, an economist at Boston College's Center for Retirement Research, put it another way.

"The more immigrants we have, the more workers we have," said Soto, a researcher of the topic. "And that's better for the system."

Federal law bars illegals from recouping retirement benefits. But Goss said that if an undocumented immigrant eventually becomes legal and can prove their contributions to the system, they would receive their allotted benefits.

"I think the contribution of immigrants to Social Security should be recognized," said Jose, a Bushwick resident, who spoke through a translator and requested that his last name not be used.

"Americans should reflect on what we're doing for this country."

Conservatives argue, however, that the money put into Social Security by illegal immigrants does not outweigh the strain they put on other government resources.

Originally published on May 22, 2005