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butterbean · Joined: 21 Jun 2006 Posts: 2271

Is Totalization A Trap? Don’t Ask The Social Security Administration
Illegals receiving Social Security?

Ditto their dependents and survivors—many of whom have never lived in the United States?

At first glance, it seems preposterous. A law called the Social Security Protection Act of 2004 explicitly prohibits benefits to "aliens residing in the United States unlawfully."

But a loophole in that law exempts illegals from any country "…that has a social insurance or pension system under which benefits are paid to eligible U.S. citizens who reside outside that country..." .

"Totalization" agreements do that. They are designed to protect workers who have divided their careers between the U.S. and a foreign country, but haven’t worked long enough under either social security system to qualify for benefits. The agreements allow workers to combine ("totalize") work credits earned in both countries to meet minimum eligibility requirements.

With the signing of the U.S.-Mexico totalization agreement on June 29, 2004, most of the 10 to 20 million illegal aliens living in the U.S. became potential Social Security recipients.

We say "potential" because the U.S.-Mexico agreement has yet to be signed by the President—or even sent to Congress for review. Eligibility and costs will ultimately depend on specific terms and language of the final agreement.

Indeed, some observers fear Mexican totalization could metastasize into a de facto guest worker program, effectively legalizing millions of erstwhile illegal aliens. [See, for example, Totalization: Sellout of American Workers, By Phyllis Schlafly November 17, 2004]

continued:
http://www.vdare.com/rubenstein/070216_nd.htm