Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) recently highlighted a concerning issue in the United States regarding recent immigrants and their federal payouts. According to Rubio, immigrants who have been in the country for short periods can often receive more benefits from the government than Social Security recipients who have worked their entire lives to qualify for their meager payouts.
The senator focused his comments on Cuban refugees who arrived up to forty years ago and became valuable members of American society, earning a Social Security benefit after years of hard work. Rubio pointed out that many of these longtime contributors are now receiving less in Social Security benefits than recent immigrants are getting with considerably less effort put into earning those benefits.
One of the things I see a lot in South Florida are people that have been in this country — they may have came from Cuba 45 years ago. They’ve worked here their entire lives. They retire. They get $800, $900, $1,000 a month from Social Security,” Rubio said during his speech on the Senate floor. He then went on to describe a situation where a Cuban refugee who arrived just three months ago and is not working receives $1,500 a month in benefits provided by the government.
Rubio further emphasized that this “refugee” frequently travels back to Cuba despite fleeing oppression from the country. And in the meantime,” Rubio added, “We’re giving you Medicaid, food stamps, health care for your children, cash payments from the refugee fund.
The senator expressed frustration that some people who have worked hard in America for years are receiving smaller Social Security checks than those given to a 28-year-old able-bodied person who just arrived in the country.
This issue is not limited to Cuban migrants from one particular decade, but occurs across various groups of immigrants. A study conducted in 2022 revealed that 54 percent of households headed by a migrant used at least one major welfare program, compared to only 39 percent for natural-born citizens. Additionally, the same study found that undocumented immigrants use welfare at an even higher rate than legal migrants; 59 percent of households headed by undocumented immigrants are on welfare compared to 52 percent of legal immigrant households.
Furthermore, immigrant-led households make far more use of food-related welfare, Medicaid, and the Earned Income Tax Credit than U.S.-born households. Even when considering immigrant-led homes with better education levels and slightly higher incomes, they still use welfare more than similar American-led homes.
Rubio’s comments have shed light on a significant discrepancy between the benefits provided to recent immigrants compared to those who have worked their whole lives in the United States. This issue is of great concern and calls for careful consideration and potential reform to ensure fairness and equity among all citizens and residents.