They came to the US as kids for a better life. Now they’re leaving for Europe as seniors

https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/12/travel/retirees-cuba-spain-new-life/index.html

by perplexed-redditor

21 comments

  1. Ah, great, so they gave the US a lifetime of productivity in the workforce, and now they come over here to take advantage of our welfare systems.

    Europe needs to do better at attracting economically productive immigrants and keeping out economically unproductive prospective immigrants.

  3. Since when did America became a better place than Europe to live.

  6. It seems like the EU may want to influence EU countries to make citizenship by descent much more limited à la the nordics, I’m surprised that a large tourist economy country has such a friendly descent citizenship law like Spain. You’d think they want it more limited so people only come for their holidays, not to live?

  7. The US seniors are starting to become very unpoplular in Italy, especially in the south.
    No interest in learning Italian, benefiting totally from cheap wellfare and – for them – cheap rent. But, somebody from their bloodline was Italian and so, well, so are they. In comparison to the locals, the US retirees are usually very wealthy.

    But then, they occupy entire cafes and do nothing but shittalk Italy, Italians and its system. Very often assuming nobody understands them, because “Sicilians are dumb as fucks”.

    Source: my sister lives in Sicily and regularly calls them out and puts them into place.

  8. We‘ve got more than enough of these old fucks ourselves, buying off all ebikes, driving prices high with their demand while trashtalking our youth.

  9. Let me guess, US journalists are going to call them “freeloaders”?

  10. Glad that they are privileged and wealthy enough to afford leaving, huh?

    Oh, wait.. one was a landlord? lol.. get fucked.

  11. Right now same plan for my wife and I with the health care system in US becoming more difficult to work in. The insurance issues I ran into as a doctor are too time consuming. I have already been in contact with EU universities for teaching positions, not clinical ones. At this point t in our life in am. It even negotiating salaries, I’m just looking to be productive and helpful to others.

  12. American retirees are some of the worst people I’ve met in Europe. Entitled, clueless, unapologetic, egoistical. All around horrible. Seen so many complain locals don’t speak english.

  13. Yeah, it’s better to make money when you are young in the US, and better to go to Euro to enjoy the retirement (with better social welfare, lower labor cost and lower price). I have multiple coworkers who switched to US office in the past few years, just to get better pay and save more money, so they can go back to Euro after a few years)

  14. It is considered very racist in the US to expect new immigrants to learn to speak/read English and change their customs.

  15. To be fair , folks have been doing since day 0. Europe is dirt cheap if you make money in the US

  16. Great, more old people for the young to take care of. As if Europe’s social programs weren’t already strained.

  17. By design in my opinion. US social system is designed in a way where staying in the US for retirement is very hard. Insurance is expensive, cost is high, regardless where you live. Unless you have beefy 401k account, then it’s not going to be even possible to pay rent.

  18. This needs to stop. The EU’s social security systems are already under significant strain, and we can’t afford to keep absorbing people who spent their lives opposing the very policies they now want to benefit from. It’s incredibly hypocritical—after decades of voting against “the socialists”, they suddenly expect to retire here and tap into the systems they never contributed to?

    The only reason this kind of exploitation even gets a pass is because of corruption—some officials lining their pockets from quick cash deals or political favors. That’s the only way this goes through.

    If retirees want to benefit from our system, then the rules should be clear:

    1. Pay retroactive contributions to our social security system,

    2. Be active residents—pay taxes and social security like everyone else,

    3. Or stick to the standard 90-day tourist stay and leave after that.

    No exceptions. No free rides. Either contribute or don’t expect access.

  19. EU countries should align their naturalization laws because of freedom of movement rights.

  20. Open borders and people do what’s best for themselves; no person ought to feel any loyalty towards any government, do what’s best for you and you family!!! Fuck the system!!

Comments are closed.