Social Security Contributions and Return Migration Among Older Male Mexican Immigrants.
For decades, scholars have studied the effects of immigration on the U.S. social security system. To date, this research has been primarily limited to migrants within the United States and does not consider those who return to their countries of origin. We estimate the proportion of male Mexican return migrants who contributed to the U.S. social security system and analyze their socioeconomic characteristics and migration histories. We also estimate the proportion that receive or expect to receive U.S. social security benefits.



Using probit regression on the 2012 Mexican Health and Aging Study (MHAS), we describe the predictors of having contributed to the U.S. social security system among Mexican males in Mexico aged 50 years and older who at some point lived in the United States.



We find that 32% of male return migrants reported having contributed to the U.S. social security system, but only 5% of those who contributed, received or expected to receive benefits. Those who reported having contributed spent more years in the United States and were more likely to be U.S. citizens or legal permanent residents than those who did not contribute.



Immigrants often pay Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance taxes using legitimate or illegitimate social security numbers and return to their home countries without collecting U.S. social security benefits.
Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles.
Emma
E
Aguila
NewCourtland Center for Transitions and Health, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia.
Alma
A
Vega
D000368:Aged; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004641:Emigration and Immigration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D010415:Pensions; D012179:Retirement / Q000191:economics; D012943:Social Security / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States
Retirement benefits; Return migration; Social security