Cleveland businessman Bernie Moreno, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, speaks to supporters during his primary election night watch party in Westlake, Ohio, Tuesday, March 19, 2024. (AP Photo/David Dermer)

Ohio Republican Senate candidate Bernie Moreno recently claimed that border crossings were depleting Social Security funds in an op-ed published in the Cincinnati Enquirer, an assertion that is misguided and false.

Moreno argued in the op-ed published July 2 that preserving Social Security required ensuring it was reserved exclusively for Americans, not undocumented immigrants. 

“Thanks to the influx of lawless border crossings under Biden and [Sherrod] Brown’s watch, jobs are taken away from Ohioans, wages are driven down, taxpayers are forced to foot the bill for housing, health care, and government handouts for illegal immigrants, and important benefit programs like Social Security are drained,” Moreno continued. “The way to preserve our Social Security net is to make certain it is there for Americans, not illegals.”

Despite being required to pay taxes, undocumented immigrants are not legally eligible to receive Social Security benefits and rarely do so. And contrary to Moreno’s assertions, CNBC has noted that immigration actually bolsters Social Security’s financial stability. 

A 2013 Social Security Administration report found that while $1 billion in retirement benefits were paid to undocumented immigrants in 2010, they contributed around $13 billion in payroll taxes. Stephen Goss, the chief actuary of the Social Security Administration, noted that these contributions positively impact the financial status of Social Security, adding approximately $12 billion to the program’s cash flow that year.

Moreno’s comments echo similar false claims made by former President Donald Trump at an Ohio rally this past March. During his campaign, Trump alleged that an influx of immigrants would demolish Medicare and Social Security, a statement which was also debunked.