The most recent and consistent estimates from nonpartisan and government-aligned sources indicate they pay approximately $25-26 billion annually into Social Security.
Guess who?
And they can’t collect a penny because they can’t obtain a valid social security number.
They are helping to sustain your benefits.
QUINNSCOMMENTARY 
Was reading today’s New York Times. Interesting article on other countries and their attempts at restricting immigration and asylum claims – specifically Denmark.
Here is a laughable quote:
“… Denmark is not alone in restricting asylum. The Biden administration progressively tightened American rules over its time in office and in some cases went further, turning away potential asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border. …”
(emphasis is from BenefitJack)
Only someone who is truly clueless would post something like that in November 2025 and expect anyone reading it to believe it.
Good reason never to quote the NY Times or its reporters as they obviously believe what they want to believe and ignore any semblance of balance in their writings and reporting.
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Or, if you prefer:
“… In a study published in December, my colleague Karen Zeigler and I examined welfare use in the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), which the Census Bureau describes as “the premier source of information” on “program participation.” We looked at the major cash, food, and housing programs, along with Medicaid. Use of these programs is an important indicator of fiscal impact not only because the programs themselves are costly, but because those receiving them generally pay little to no income tax.
We estimate that 59% of households headed by an illegal immigrant use one or more of these welfare programs, compared to 39% of native-headed households. Illegal-immigrant households make especially high use of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC); the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); free or reduced-price school meals; Medicaid; and food stamps. We estimate that this population costs these programs roughly $42 billion annually. …”
https://www.nationalaffairs.com/publications/detail/the-cost-of-illegal-immigration
But, regardless of whether they are net contributors or a net drain, they should leave before they are deported.
My mother came here legally in July 1925 through Ellis Island – at the age of 7 months.
I have a distant cousin who came here from Slovakia early in the 21st Century. She came on a student visa to study hospitality. She stayed some of that time with my mom. She got married to a green card holder, had two wonderful, bright, American citizen children. She was living the American dream. They were contributing much, much more to America. They had never been on welfare, nor had they received any government assistance – in part because they received some assistance from my mom – of course, we thought of that as the equivalent of a sponsorship, similar to what my own mother received, which, by the way, my maternal grandmother had to repay.
And, of course, she overstayed her student visa. During the Obama Administration, she was deported back to Europe – where she now resides with her green card husband and their two American citizen children.
My family is very engaged in our church’s efforts to welcome legal immigrants. Today, we work with an immigrant family originally from Afghanistan, who traveled through Iran, and then spent 6 years in a Turkish camp – before being fully vetted and gaining entrance into America. In that way, we sinners are trying to emulate, at least a little bit, the Good Samaritan.
I have little empathy for illegal immigrants who violate our laws – who game the system, claim asylum when in fact, studies suggest, 95+% are economic immigrants who want to live the American dream – just like my distant cousin.
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Here is the Congressional testimony I quoted.
https://www.congress.gov/118/meeting/house/116727/witnesses/HHRG-118-JU01-Wstate-CamarotaS-20240111.pdf
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You hit the nail on the head. How does a GREAT country treat people who are not their own citizens – whether they illegally immigrate over the border in violation of our laws or continue to live in their own countries. No country, NO country, has a better record of coming to the aid of individuals who are not their own citizens.
Suggesting that we should somehow treat illegal immigrants who violate our laws better than those non-citizens from the exact same countries who do not violate our laws is idiotic.
Suggesting that we should not control our own borders is also idiotic. Even the idiot Biden decided to close our borders in June of 2024, once he recognized that the idiot Trump had totally weaponized illegal immigration as a political weapon.
In terms of America and foreign aid, consider:
https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/us-foreign-aid-by-country
Show me the numbers for any other country. Go for it. Else, stop suggesting America is anything but a GREAT country when it comes to our efforts on behalf of individuals who are not citizens of our country.
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Better than? Who said to do all that? Why would you come to that conclusion?
I said treat them as human beings. So, since they are illegal we let them die in the street, go hungry? Many are illegal because we didn’t have anything in place to handle/screen them, many were just desperate and took a chance.
My idea is that building a wall to keep people out is not a symbol of a great country anymore than building one to keep people in.
Trump labeled them criminals, terrorists, rapist, less than human, he said they were eating pets. Since they are not white that helps his racist cause too.
Should they all be here illegally? No, but they are and we have been using the labor of millions of them for years. To say now they deserve nothing because how they entered or stayed in the country is hypocritical at best.
Let’s put a system in place now to screen those here, to legally use their labor and their taxes.
To simply say, they are illegal that’s all that matters is short-sighted and foolish. Trump pardoned real, even violent criminals because they support him, but illegal immigrants have a lower standing? Even Trump got off the hook for his illegal actions.
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“So, since they are illegal we let them die in the street, go hungry?”
Show me anyone in America who was left to die in the streets or to starve.
Go for it. Where are the pictures, where are the graves?
Aliens, legally or illegally here, have no right to financial support from Americans, individually or via government spending.
Why would you think we should support someone who violates our laws and comes here, any more than, say, a German citizen who lives in Berlin or a Canadian who lives in Toronto? If that German and Canadian came here, legally or illegally, why would you think they deserve American financial support? And, especially, if they came here in violation of our laws …
If they are so hungry, they can turn themselves in for deportation. No problem if they want to be treated as human beings – turn yourself in to be fed, housed and deported.
Yes, IT IS that simple.
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It was a question, not a statement. For those who say illegals should get nothing from us.
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Perhaps if we stopped transfers back to the old country, that might be the outcome – if they had to spend here what they earned here. But, even a simpleton economist such as myself knows that, given their earnings capabilities and earnings levels, government transfers significantly outweigh the taxes paid.
That’s not limited to illegal immigrants. In fact, we have way too many American citizens who are sucking on the government teet – who contribute nothing and are a significant drag on our economy, and those who actually do make contributions, build our economy, pay taxes.
Keep in mind that there is a reason why America is running $1 – $2 Trillion a year in annual deficits, and it isn’t limited to welfare transfers to other American citizens, but also includes various welfare transfers to illegal immigrants.
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Al Lindquist
If they came legally there would be no problem–folks that stood back and allowed this “invasion” to happen have responsibility for what we have now–
you and your friends thought there would be no consequence for what you did, but like everything else our actions have consequences.
people who are thinkers realize that–we told our children and grandchildren that their actions have consequences so think hard before you do something that could have a major impact on your life–in this case the lives of millions.
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From Congressional Testimony in 2024 – where, until the Biden Administration changed policies in June 2024, before dropping out of the race, once it was proved to him that his immigration policies were an election loser.
“… Illegal immigrants are a net fiscal drain, meaning they receive more in government services than
they pay in taxes. This result is not due to laziness or fraud. Illegal immigrants actually have
high rates of work, and they do pay some taxes, including income and payroll taxes. The
fundamental reason that illegal immigrants are a net drain is that they have a low average
education level, which results in low average earnings and tax payments. It also means a large
share qualify for welfare programs, often receiving benefits on behalf of their U.S.-born
children. Like their less-educated and low-income U.S.-born counterparts, the tax payments of
illegal immigrants do not come close to covering the cost they create.
Key Points
aliens have been released into the country by the administration since January 2021.
There have also been 1.5 million “got-aways” — individuals observed entering illegally
but not stopped. Visa overstays also seem to have hit a record in FY 2022.
October of 2023, up 2.6 million since January 2021, when the president took office. This
is the net increase in the illegal population based on monthly Census Bureau data, not the
number of new arrivals.
primarily because a large share have modest levels of education, resulting in relatively
low average incomes and tax payments, along with significant use of means-tested
programs and other government services.
beyond high school, compared to 35 percent of the U.S.-born.
level, we estimate that the lifetime fiscal drain (taxes paid minus costs) for each illegal
immigrant is about $68,000, although this estimate comes with some caveats.
estimate that 59 percent of households headed by illegal immigrants use one or more
major welfare programs, compared to 39 percent of households headed by the U.S.-born.
receive $42 billion in benefits, or about 4 percent of the total cost of the cash, Medicaid,
food and housing programs examined in our study. However, this is only a rough
approximation due to limitations in the data.
immigrant children can receive school lunch/breakfast and WIC directly. A number of
states provide Medicaid to some illegal immigrants, and a few provide SNAP. Several
million illegal immigrants also have work authorization (e.g. DACA, TPS and some
asylum applicants), allowing receipt of the EITC.
unwillingness to work. In fact, 94 percent of illegal immigrant households have at least
one worker, compared to only 73 percent of U.S.-born households. But the nation’s
welfare system is design to help low-wage workers with children, which describes a very
large share of illegal immigrant households.
education. Based on average costs per student, the estimated 4 million children of illegal
immigrants in public schools created $68.1 billion in costs in 2019. The vast majority of
these children are U.S.-born.
significant fiscal costs. Prior research indicates that there are 5.8 million uninsured illegal
immigrants in the country in 2019, accounting for a little over one-fifth of the total
population without health insurance. The costs of providing care to them likely totals
some $7 billion annually.
roughly $5.9 billion in federal income tax, $16.2 billion in Social Security tax and $3.8
billion in Medicaid taxes. However, as the net fiscal drain of $68,000 per person cited
above indicates, these taxes are not nearly enough to cover the cost of the services they
receive.
measure of their tax contributions or the benefits they create for the U.S.-born. Almost all
the increase in economic activity goes to the illegal immigrants themselves in the form of
wages. …”
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Al Lindquist
great information as usual Jack–full of fact as opposed to fantasy–have read it twice and will go through once more–thanks for all you contribute.
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Congressional testimony by who?
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The Cato Institute (citing a National Academy of Sciences methodology) estimates that immigrants contribute more in taxes than they receive in government benefits — especially over the long term.
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For each immigrant who comes here, perhaps. When you include their family members, and the individuals who are born here and qualify for welfare and other benefits as American citizens, not a chance.
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The more important question may be how does a GREAT country treat other human beings at the lowest end of society. In addition, a rational and secure process of transitioning many to legal status is in our long-term benefit.
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