The story around town seems to be that illegal immigrants or undocumented workers receive social security benefits. The story doing the rounds is false. Talk show hosts such as Rush Limbaugh and Michael Savage not only seem to be part of spreading the untrue piece of information, it also leads to the message being passed around by word of mouth, via emails and online petitions.

Illegal immigrants apparently get in on the Social Security’s administrative system and receive benefits. Not true. Undocumented workers will never be entitled to claim social security benefits. Illegal immigrants are known to provide false social security numbers in order to prove they are documented workers, thus giving them to chance to start working. In October 2005, the earnings on which workers contribute towards Social Security racked up $520 billion.

However, people still seem to believe that illegal immigrants are entitled to Social Security benefits. One fact that probably pushed the rumour is the vote in 2006 for an amendment to immigration reform laws. Even though the amendment was passed by Senate with a 50-49 vote, the bill died and there ended the amendment. Therefore, the truth is that illegal immigrants will only have a right to Social Security once they are granted amnesty, and when that does happen, they will have a right to Social Security benefits for prior work done in the country.

Undocumented workers also contribute towards Social Security taxes – the figure stands at a whopping $6 billion annually. The National Immigration Law Center says the money is directed towards the Earnings Suspense File, which is a repository for Social Security taxes which are paid by illegal immigrants who have either used false identities, forged document or incorrect Social Security numbers.