Photo credit: abcnews.go.com
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has taken significant steps to categorize over 6,000 living immigrants as deceased, resulting in the cancellation of their Social Security numbers. This drastic measure effectively strips these individuals of their ability to work or access benefits, ostensibly in an effort to encourage them to leave the United States, as reported by sources familiar with the developments.
The implications of this action are profound, as it complicates access to essential services such as banking, which require a valid Social Security number. This initiative is part of President Donald Trump’s wider campaign to tighten immigration controls, particularly targeting those who were permitted to stay temporarily in the U.S. under programs established by the previous administration, led by Joe Biden.
The process involves transferring the names and Social Security numbers of these immigrants to a database used for tracking deceased individuals, as outlined by the same unnamed sources. This move has not been publicly confirmed, and the criteria for selecting these individuals remains unclear.
Those affected are expected to face numerous obstacles in managing their finances, as the removal of their Social Security numbers will disconnect them from critical financial services, effectively pressuring them to “self-deport” back to their home countries.
Additionally, the administration is specifically focusing on immigrants who participated in the Biden-era CBP One app program, which enabled more than 900,000 individuals to gain temporary entry into the U.S. These individuals were initially authorized to remain in the country for two years but have had their legal statuses revoked by the Department of Homeland Security, paving the way for their impending removal.
In a parallel decision, a federal judge recently intervened to prevent the Trump administration from mandating the departure of numerous Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans who currently hold temporary legal status, further complicating the landscape for these communities.
Officials from the Social Security Administration have not commented on the classification of living immigrants as deceased. The agency maintains a comprehensive database of deceased individuals, containing over 142 million records dating back to 1899.
The Privacy Act permits the Social Security Administration to share certain information with law enforcement under specific circumstances, particularly in cases of criminal activity.
This week, the Department of Homeland Security and the Treasury Department entered into an agreement facilitating the sharing of immigrants’ tax information with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to assist in identifying individuals residing in the U.S. unlawfully. This agreement allows for the verification of taxpayer details against immigration records, a move that raises concerns among immigrant advocates.
The acting commissioner of the IRS, Melanie Krause, resigned in light of this controversial arrangement.
Additionally, a federal judge recently halted plans led by a team focused on reducing federal employment and downsizing government operations, which includes efforts by billionaire Elon Musk to change Social Security systems that manage sensitive personal data.
Advocacy groups, such as Democracy Forward, led by Skye Perryman, have signaled intentions to challenge the Trump administration’s latest initiatives regarding Social Security numbers through legal avenues, citing a pattern of legal overreach and violations of established systems of governance.
“This President continues to engage in lawless behavior, violating the law and abusing our systems of checks and balances,” Perryman stated, echoing concerns among numerous advocates regarding the implications of these government actions.
Source
abcnews.go.com