President Obama last week issued an executive order that deferred deportations for around 5 million immigrants.
The order ensures that certain immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally won’t be deported.
In addition, it makes the 5 million immigrants in question eligible for Social Security and Medicare.
More details from the Washington Post:
For those who work, that includes payroll taxes, also known as FICA taxes, because they are collected under the Federal Insurance Contributions Act. They are usually split between employer and employee and include 12.4 percent collected to pay for Social Security, as well as 2.9 percent to pay for Medicare.
Current federal law holds that people who pay those taxes and are deemed “lawfully present” in the United States can collect benefits under those programs when they become eligible. They may also receive survivors and disability benefits.
“If they pay in, they can draw,” White House spokesman Shawn Turner said by email.
He noted, however, that the estimated 5 million immigrants granted protection from deportation will not be eligible for other federal benefits, such as student financial aid, food stamps and housing subsidies. Nor are they eligible to purchase health insurance through the federal health care exchange under the Affordable Care Act.
Possible political implications, from The Hill:
The idea of a large new group of immigrants becoming eligible for Medicare and other programs is likely to rouse further GOP criticism of Obama’s executive order. And immigrants’ eligibility for benefits will surely become a flashpoint of a legislative debate over immigration reform if Congress chooses to take up the issue.
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