Draft US-Mexico Totalization Agreement Released

Back in 2004 the heads of the U.S. and Mexican Social Security agencies signed a Social Security totalization agreement. The agreement is not effective until ratified in both countries. The agreement has proven controversial in the U.S. and has never been signed by the President or submitted to Congress. The controversy in the U.S. has been more than a little peculiar since the agreement had not been released to the public. No one knew for sure what was in the agreement.

The TREA Senior Citizens League sued under the Freedom of Information Act to get the agreement released. After three and a half years of litigation, the U.S. government finally relented and the U.S.-Mexico Totalization agreement was released, apparently just before or after Christmas. One has to wonder if the timing of the release was designed to lower public attention to the agreement, but then one also has to wonder why there was any hesitancy about releasing a copy of the agreement.

The agreement appears to be similar to totalization agreements signed with other countries, which have been routinely ratified by the Senate. The controversy over this agreement has little to do with the actual agreement and much to do with the number of Mexican immigrant in the U.S. and public attitudes towards these immigrants.