Proposal Seeks Pensions for Mexicans Living in United States

A group of advocates calls on the Mexican Congress to include elderly Mexican migrants living in the United States in the Pensión del Bienestar (Wellbeing Pension) as part of the 2026 federal budget. The proposal aims to recognize and address what they describe as a historic omission in the country’s social policy toward its diaspora.

José Paredes, Mexico Representative, National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), urges lawmakers to incorporate this group into future budget allocations. Speaking at a forum titled “Por una Pensión del Bienestar más allá de las fronteras” (For a Wellbeing Pension Beyond Borders), Paredes said that the proposed 2026 budget offers an opportunity to address what he called a long-standing debt to older Mexican adults living abroad.

According to Paredes, Mexico must recognize that its migrant population, particularly those who have aged in the United States without documentation and continue to be excluded from programs meant to support older adults. He adds that about 1.8% of nearly 5 million undocumented Mexican migrants in the United States are aged 65 or older, and half of them are women.

Paredes challenges the common perception that Mexicans in the United States enjoy favorable living conditions, arguing that many face precarious circumstances, limited access to healthcare, and no formal retirement security. He says that Mexico functions as a transterritorial nation, with millions of its citizens residing, working, and aging outside its geographic borders.

The United States hosts the largest Mexican diaspora, estimated at 12 million individuals, about 23% of the immigrant population in that country, says María de Lourdes Rosas, Researcher, Universidad Popular Autónoma del Estado de Puebla (UPAEP). She stresses the economic significance of this community, pointing to remittances as a mechanism that reduces inequality, alleviates fiscal pressures, and provides social and political stability in recipient regions.

Rosas calls for a shift in national policy to engage the diaspora more directly, framing it as a matter of foreign policy and national development. She says that integrating migrants into the country’s social programs would strengthen Mexico’s geopolitical influence and acknowledge the role of migrants as economic and cultural contributors.

The proposal to include US-based seniors in the Pensión del Bienestar will require legislative action and budgetary commitment, but advocates argue it is a necessary step in recognizing the ongoing contributions and needs of Mexican nationals living beyond the country's borders.