A 66-year-old Florida man preparing for retirement is unable to pay his Social Security payments even though he has lived in the United States since he was a toddler and has voted in numerous federal elections over the past 60 years. When applying for a U.S. citizenship, he was shocked to discover that he was not a U.S. citizen.
Jimmy Klass said he expected to receive a letter from the Social Security Administration in 2020 telling him when he could start collecting the benefits he earned after decades of work, but instead his News 6 was told the money would be “frozen.”Click on Orlando report.
“I got a notice saying I was frozen because I didn’t prove I was here legally. That was their determination,” he explained.
Klas’ mother was Canadian, and her paternal grandparents were from Germany.
But what always reassured him that he was an American citizen was that his father was a native-born American.
For decades, Klass, who was brought to the United States in the 1960s at the age of two, thought she had been granted citizenship through her father.
“My father’s roots were in Brooklyn, New York…and two years after I was born, they decided to pack up the truck and move to Beverly, so to speak,” Klass told the outlet. Ta.
“More specifically, we moved to Tennessee Avenue on Long Island. And we moved into the house next door to my grandparents.”
Mr. Klass was also admitted years ago to join the Marines and even become a police officer, although in both cases applicants are subject to strict background checks. He also explained that there were no conflicts regarding citizenship.
“I got the job offer, but I never got the job because I was newly married, had a child, and just bought a house…” he said.
A registered voter with a Social Security card and a valid driver’s license, Klass took a union job to support his family and “acted like a regular citizen” because he had no reason to think otherwise.
“So photo ID, voting here, everything was accepted,” he said.
“Even though Social Security says I didn’t prove it, it was never discovered that I was in the country illegally. They gave me Medicare for over a year and a half. .”
The 66-year-old even said he voted in multiple elections, which is a federal crime, according to the paper. F.B.I..
“No one has shown up at my door to arrest me yet,” Klas joked. “But technically, if you vote and it’s illegal, it’s the federal government’s responsibility.”
Mr. Klass now has no choice but to plead with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to resolve the matter, sending them multiple documents proving that he has lived in the United States as a full citizen for more than 60 years. ing.
“I sent them all to USCIS and they still rejected me,” Klass said.
He even visited the Canadian consulate in Miami in hopes of helping clarify the situation, but to no avail.
To make matters worse, the retiree is using his savings to solve the problem.
“I’ve spent thousands of dollars over my life trying to recover the money I paid into Social Security,” he said.
“I also told them, ‘If you’re not going to pay me every month, just give me back all the interest I paid and let’s be done with it, either.’ I said, ‘Okay. , what can you do?
Klass said she was forced to return to work due to the financial burden.
He even started a GoFundMe to raise money to hire a lawyer and a genealogist (someone who traces or researches family lines) to fight Immigration and Immigration Services over his Social Security benefits. .
According to If you reside in the United States, you are automatically a U.S. citizen. Children’s Citizenship Act 2000.
Unfortunately for Klass, this law was not in effect when he moved to America at the age of two.
USCIS said in a statement to News 6 Click Orlando that it could not discuss the matter “due to privacy considerations.”
“For practical reasons and due to privacy considerations, USCIS does not comment on individual immigration cases and does not share, review, or deny immigration information about specific individuals. We review them on a case-by-case basis to determine whether they meet all criteria required by law. Applicants will receive a written decision by mail, which will fully explain our actions. and the right of appeal.”
