Issue Position: Immigration - Totalization Agreement with Mexico

Issue Position

On June 29, the Social Security Administration (SSA) signed an agreement with the Mexican Security Institute to formulate a totalization agreement preventing U.S. citizens working in Mexico and those Mexican citizens working legally in the U.S. from being taxed twice by the U.S. and Mexican social security systems. As you may know, the U.S. currently has totalization agreements with 20 countries, including Canada, Chile, and most of Western Europe. The proposal must first be approved by the U.S. State Department and the President before it is submitted to Congress for review.

I voted for and support current law, which strictly prohibits the payment of Social Security benefits to illegal immigrants. Under the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, an illegal immigrant cannot collect benefits while living in the U.S. The Social Security Protection Act of 2004 further strengthened this law by prohibiting an illegal immigrant from receiving benefits due to his/her unauthorized status in the U.S.

However, I have serious concerns that the totalization agreement with Mexico, if not limited to those who hold a valid Social Security number and for whom SSA has verifiable records of benefits accrued, could possibly undermine our Social Security system and place in jeopardy the retirement benefits of all our citizens. I have expressed these concerns directly to SSA Commissioner Jo Anne Barnhart. In response, Commissioner Barnhart stated that "totalization agreements, including the proposed agreement with Mexico, do not have any effect on the prohibition against payment of benefits to undocumented aliens in the U.S., or on the prohibition against the payment of benefits to aliens who have not been authorized to work in the U.S."

I look forward to reviewing the totalization agreement with Mexico, if it is approved by the U.S. State Department and the President.

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