Rep. Lamar Smith: Amnesty Will Drain Social Security

In an article published by Investor’s Business Daily, Rep. Lamar Smith (R-Texas) wrote that a mass amnesty will drain funds from Social Security despite claims by pro-amnesty supporters who say a mass amnesty will help Social Security over time.

Rep. Smith said that he talked with representatives at the Social Security Administration and asked them to calculate how much a low-skilled, illegal worker would contribute into the system and how much they would take out after retirement if they were offered an amnesty.

A single male illegal immigrant who works for very low wages and is now 25 years old will receive (at today’s value) $15,596 more in Social Security retirement benefits. A similar female illegal immigrant will receive $20,936 more in retirement benefits.

A married illegal immigrant couple in which one spouse works can expect $52,460 more. And a married illegal immigrant couple where both spouses work will receive $39,037 more.

Rep. Smith concludes that an amnesty for 5 million low-skilled workers would amount to a $500 billion cost to the Social Security fund.

Rep. Smith, who serves as the Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, also discussed other ways that an amnesty would have a fiscal impact on the United States.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform has estimated that the total cost of K-12 education for illegal immigrant minors and the U.S.-born children of illegal immigrants is nearly $29 billion a year.

And there are health care costs. If illegal immigrants are covered in the health care bill (there is not a strong verification mechanism to ensure they won’t get benefits), it will increase the bill’s costs by as much as $30 billion.

Then there are the human costs. Nearly 16 million Americans are out of work, and about 8 million jobs are held by illegal immigrants.

Read Rep. Smith’s entire article at Investors.com.