Romney: SEN. MCCAIN: "GIVE THEM NOT ONLY SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS BUT… PROTECTIONS UNDER THE LAW"

Vote Allowed Illegals Who Were Granted Amnesty To Collect Benefits On Work They Did While In This Country Illegally

"The whole thrust of this legislation is to give them not only Social Security benefits but, as importantly, the protections under the law… That is why we are going through this process of letting them earn citizenship." – Sen. John McCain, 2006 (Sen. John McCain, Congressional Record, 5/18/06, p. S4745)

To read Sen. McCain's support of retroactive Social Security after amnesty, see the Congressional Record here: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getpage.cgi?dbname=2006_record&page=S4745&position=all

In His Own Word, Sen. McCain Arguing For Social Security Benefits For Illegals:
Sen. McCain: "The Whole Thrust Of This Legislation Is To Give Them Not Only Social Security Benefits…" SEN. MCCAIN: "Mr. President, very briefly, of course, they didn't expect to receive benefits they had to pay into the system because they were here illegally. The whole thrust of this legislation is to give them not only Social Security benefits but, as importantly, the protections under the law, as they now live in the shadows and are exploited and mistreated in many cases. Of course, they didn't expect to. That is why we are going through this process of letting them earn citizenship." (Sen. John McCain, Congressional Record, 5/18/06, p. S4745)

Sen. McCain: Stated His "Strong Opposition To The Ensign Amendment."
SEN. MCCAIN: "Mr. President, I rise in strong opposition to the Ensign amendment. Under current law, undocumented immigrants are ineligible for Social Security benefits which I think is entirely appropriate. But we all know that millions of undocumented immigrants pay Social Security and Medicare taxes for years and sometimes decades while they work to contribute to our economy." (Sen. John McCain, Congressional Record, 5/18/06, p. S4744)

Sen. McCain: Ensign Amendment Would "Undermine The Work" Of Illegal Workers. SEN. MCCAIN: "The Ensign amendment would undermine the work of these people by preventing lawfully present immigrant workers from claiming Social Security benefits that they earned before they were authorized to work in our country." (Sen. John McCain, Congressional Record, 5/18/06, p. S4744)

Sen. McCain: "If This Amendment Is Enacted, The Nest Egg That These Immigrants Have Worked Hard For Would Be Taken From Them And Their Families." (Sen. John McCain, Congressional Record, 5/18/06, p. S4744)

Sen. McCain: "It Is Fundamentally Unfair" To Disqualify The Taxes Paid By Illegal Immigrants.
SEN. MCCAIN: "It pains me to disagree with my good friend from Nevada on this matter, but I believe the amendment is wrong. It is fundamentally unfair to collect taxes from these workers and then disqualify the taxes paid once the workers achieve legal taxes." (Sen. John McCain, Congressional Record, 5/18/06, p. S4744)

Sen. McCain: Immigrants "Should Be Able To Depend" On Social Security Benefits They Accrued While Working Illegally.
SEN. MCCAIN: "I believe instead of supporting the amendment, we should stand for the principle that people who worked and paid into the Social Security system for years should be able to depend on their retirement income to which they contributed." (Sen. John McCain, Congressional Record, 5/18/06, p. S4744)

Sen. McCain Argued That It Would Cost The Government More If They Did Not Give Social Security Benefits To Immigrants Who Worked Illegally.

SEN. MCCAIN: "What about the fiscal consequences of the amendment? I submit that if Social Security is not available in the future for immigrants, that when they retire or become disabled, then State and local governments and potentially the Federal Government will be forced to absorb significant costs as the Federal Government has refused to provide services and supports paid for by tax dollars of millions of legal immigrants. This amendment would simply continue this trend." (Sen. John McCain, Congressional Record, 5/18/06, p. S4744)