$376 Billion up for grabs

[glatt]

There's a special account in the Social Security Admin where all unclaimed funds go. It's called the "earnings suspense file" and is a sort of catchall for mismatched names and numbers, but is funded mostly by undocumented migrants, many of whom don't know the money exists.

Many undocumented migrants give a fake social security number to their employers, and end up paying into the system. Since the ss number doesn't match up to a proper name, or isn't a real number, the money goes into this account. Currently, the value of the account stands at $376 Billion.

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If the workers ever get their papers in order, and become legal, they can, in theory, apply to have the money put under their name for ther retirement. It's a difficult process and requires a significant amount of proof. Most don't know they have that option, and even if they did, most are afraid to admit they were illegal before. So the money sits unclaimed. There is a quiet push in Congress to take the money and apply it to the general fund for all Social Security recipients.

Is this fair? Should our retirement be funded in part on the backs of poorly paid illegal immigrants?