Florida man finds he’s not a legal citizen 60 years after moving to the U.S.

welcome back well new here tonight he spent his entire life living and working in the United States but when it came time to collect his social security benefits one Florida man says he has not received one penny instead he got a surprise reality check the government told him he's not who he says he is and now he's been fighting to prove them wrong my team investigative reporter Katie lron shares his story tonight outside Jimmy class's mobile home in clearw water symbols of American Pride hang not just front and center but on the side of his home in the back America is after all the only home this 66-year-old has ever known I moved to the US in 1959 how long have you been here 64 years but after more than half of a century in the US where he's lived worked went to school got married had kids paid his taxes Mr class you will be entitled to retirement benefits even voted class says in 2020 instead of receiving my first check he discovered I didn't have any thoughts he's not a US citizen I just was like blindsided class says it all came to light after he applied for the Social Security benefits he paid into his entire working life you got to be kidding me you know one month you tell me I should expect my first check second Wednesday of 2020 but instead I get a letter stating that I haven't proven to them that I'm here legally you see class was born in Canada his mom Canadian but his father American born and raised in New York this is Dad yep that's dad the family moved to the US when class was two and stayed here that's me as a Boy Scout in America in America as he got older he says he just assumed he to was American a dual citizen documents he laid out for us are a glimpse of his deep root Ro in the US this is when you know you're old when the old driver's licenses were paper Roots he says were never questioned not when he got his social security card driver's license or voter registration card I've been voting for over 40 years I guess I'm in a lot of trouble class was even approved to serve as a marine for the US military I signed up to defend this country and work for the New Jersey State Police his citizenship status never an issue he says the only thing they asked me for with my social security card and my driver's license after he learned he wasn't really a US citizen he forly applied for status but was denied US immigration services wouldn't share details with us stating they don't talk about individual cases but in this 2022 denial letter the agency stated class didn't provide enough evidence to prove his father lived in the US for 10 years before class was born a requirement I've seen a handful of cases like this they don't come around every day and de deine is a fort Meers based immigration attorney she says class's case is a reflection of a large complicated and changing US immigration system that can't always accurately track who's here legally illegally or somewhere in between for many years the DMV the different agencies didn't necessarily communicate with each other and so the documentation that you need to renew your driver's license or for the Social Security benefits were not as true inent as they are now how did he get issued a social security card though that's a good question quite possible that back then the requirements that have a social just not the same as it is today so is it fair though that he was issued a social security card he got his Social Security taxes withheld he worked all of his life he paid his taxes absolutely not absolutely not I worked my 50 years and I paid into my Social Security they should be paying me what happened if this doesn't get resolved well I guess uh they get to give my money to someone else will it make you look at America differently I'll probably move back to Canada you would consider leaving yep yep and say bye-bye America class says he contacted Senator Rubio's office hired an immigration attorney even a genealogist to dig up records to help him in his fight a fight that continues I'm my team investigator Katie LR taking action for you

Channel: ABC Action News

Views: 827,274

Keywords: abc action news, customs and border protection, florida news, immigrant, immigration attorney, jimmy klass, local news, social security, social security benefits, undocumented immigrant, wfts

Id: wB93JGN0RSY

Length: 4min 26sec (266 seconds)

Published: Wed May 08 2024