Undocumented immigrants contribute more to Social Security than they receive in benefits

President Donald Trump’s drive to deport immigrants and block new arrivals could chip away at Social Security’s finances at a time when the program is already on shaky financial footing, experts say.

President Donald Trump’s drive to deport immigrants and block new arrivals could chip away at Social Security’s finances at a time when the program is already on shaky financial footing, experts say. In addition to Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s push for more removals, the Trump administration is also trying to convince certain immigrants to “self-deport.” The efforts include entering more than 6,000 immigrants’ names into the Social Security Administration’s database used to track dead people, which effectively cuts them off from being able to work, access financial services and receive public benefits. The move targets those who may have entered under programs that have ended, such as the Biden administration’s temporary work initiatives. These actions, however, could cut off a funding stream for Social Security. “Immigrants overall actually help bolster the finances of Social Security,” said Jack Smalligan, a senior policy fellow at the Urban Institute and co-author of a proposal to address Social Security’s trust fund shortfall in part by increasing employment and family-based visas. “Immigrants are very important right now, especially as we see a very low birth rate among Americans. Immigrants tend to be younger and contribute to Social Security throughout their lifetime.” Legal immigrants and many undocumented workers without employment authorization pay Social Security taxes, analyses show. Some undocumented immigrants use fake Social Security numbers or ones they may have had before their work permits lapsed. In 2022, for example, undocumented immigrants paid nearly $100 billion in federal, state and local income taxes, including nearly $26 billion in Social Security taxes and $6.4 billion in Medicare taxes, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, a left-leaning think tank. (The report takes into account both employer and employee contributions to Social Security and Medicare taxes.)