The Trump administration has reportedly marked more than 6,000 living immigrants as deceased, canceling their Social Security numbers to pressure them into leaving the United States.
According to two people familiar with the matter, the move effectively blocks these individuals from working or accessing key services, such as banking, that require a valid Social Security number.
The decision is part of a broader crackdown targeting immigrants who were allowed to enter or remain temporarily in the country under policies introduced by President Joe Biden.
Sources say the administration has transferred these immigrants’ names and legally issued Social Security numbers into a federal database typically reserved for deceased individuals. This action was taken quietly and has not been formally announced yet.
Officials believe that by cutting off access to basic financial services, many of these immigrants will be forced to “self-deport” and return to their home countries. It remains unclear how the administration selected the 6,000+ individuals impacted.
However, many are believed to have entered under Biden-era programs like the CBP One mobile app, which allowed over 900,000 immigrants to stay in the U.S. temporarily.
Earlier this week, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also revoked legal status for immigrants who used the CBP One app.
Under President Biden, these individuals had been granted permission to live and work in the U.S. for two years under humanitarian parole. Now, they are being urged to leave voluntarily.
In a separate development, a federal judge issued a ruling Thursday that blocks the Trump administration from ordering hundreds of thousands of immigrants from countries like Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Venezuela to leave the U.S. later this month. These individuals also have temporary legal status.
The Social Security Administration (SSA), which manages the most extensive federal database of death records, did not respond to requests for comment about why living immigrants were being added to that system. The SSA’s database contains over 142 million records dating back to 1899.
Normally, the SSA can only share information with law enforcement under strict conditions, such as when a violent crime or other criminal activity is involved.
This week, DHS and the Treasury Department signed a new agreement allowing the IRS to share immigrants’ tax records with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
ICE can now submit the names and addresses of undocumented immigrants to the IRS for cross-checking against tax filings to help identify and deport those in the country illegally.
The agreement has already sparked controversy. Acting IRS Commissioner Melanie Krause, who had held the position since February, resigned shortly after the deal was signed.
In March, a federal judge temporarily blocked a team led by billionaire Elon Musk and tasked with shrinking the federal workforce from accessing sensitive Social Security data. The judge referred to their efforts as a “fishing expedition.”
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, said her organization is prepared to sue the Trump administration over the Social Security number issue once more details become public.
“This President continues to act outside the law, undermining our systems of checks and balances,” Perryman stated.
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