Trump administration invalidates Social Security numbers of immigrants, pushing them to "self deport"
The Social Security Administration this week began to classify thousands of immigrants with temporary legal status and Social Security numbers as dead, according to three sources familiar with the situation.
The move essentially cancels an immigrant's Social Security number and is equivalent to a financial death, as financial institutions rely on updated Social Security data to verify identities and deaths and may cut off access for these individuals.
This move was first reported by The New York Times.
Three sources tell CBS News that in recent days, the SSA renamed their agency's "death master file," which tracks the death of individuals to stop them from receiving Social Security benefits, to the "ineligible master file."
Under the new name, the SSA is classifying immigrants as dead with false dates, multiple sources said. This would essentially invalidate their Social Security number and access to government benefits. The agency wrote in March that an "erroneously reported" death will stop benefits, can cause "financial hardship" and is "long and challenging" to fix.
The first group to be added to the "ineligible master file" was a group of over 6,000 immigrants who came into the country through former President Joe Biden's parole program, according to two sources. This detail was first reported by The Washington Post.
The White House said the move was done to encourage these immigrants, who had a "monetary incentive" to come in via the parole system, to "self-deport."
"President Trump promised mass deportations and by removing the monetary incentive for illegal aliens to come and stay, we will encourage them to self-deport. He is delivering on his promise he made to the American people," White House spokesperson Elizabeth Huston said.
This first group of immigrants moved to the ineligible list had criminal records or were immigrants who the Department of Homeland Security alleges have connections to terrorism, two sources said. But there is an expectation and concern among Social Security employees and experts that other immigrants with legal Social Security numbers, such as those who have legal work authorization and entered through the "Enumeration Beyond Entry" program, could be targeted next.
The request to add the first 6,000 names to this list came from DHS, two sources said. There was also a memorandum of agreement about the move signed on Monday by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting SSA Commissioner Leland Dudek, according to one source familiar.
There are specific qualifications for lawful immigrants to qualify for Social Security benefits. For instance, immigrants under work authorization, or those with green cards, can obtain specialized Social Security numbers but are not entitled to payments from taxes paid within their first five years in the country.
Democratic Congressional members, Social Security employers and advocates immediately raised alarms about the move.
Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden of Oregon said the action "raises the prospect of the Trump Administration stealing legally earned Social Security benefits from American citizens, further proof that Trump's promise to protect Social Security is a lie."
Martin O'Malley, the former SSA commissioner during the Biden administration, called the move by SSA "illegal on so many scores."
"If without due process, Trump and Musk can unlawfully 'disappear' or 'digitally murder' anyone who legally entered our country, then they can do it to anyone already legally here," he said.
