Outside the Box
Opinion: Your Social Security depends on immigrants — especially those in the U.S. unlawfully
How immigrants subsidize Social Security for the rest of us
Last Updated:
First Published:
During the presidential debate last month, former U.S. President Donald Trump repeatedly asserted that “millions of people pouring into our country” will “destroy Social Security.”
While it is certainly true that Social Security is imperiled by a large financing shortfall, resolvable only if lawmakers enact substantial policy corrections, Social Security’s problems are not caused by immigrants. To the contrary, immigration strengthens Social Security’s finances. Similar misunderstandings exist about immigrants, crime and the labor market.
