Social Security Reinstates Migrants Who Proved They're Alive

Nearly three dozen migrants have produced documents proving they're alive after the Social Security Administration labeled them as being deceased, The Washington Post reported.

Administration staff reinstated the affected individuals into Social Security databases, the Post reported Friday.

Earlier this week, the Post reported federal agencies were sharing information with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in efforts to identify and remove illegal migrants who are benefiting from entitlement programs.

Last week, The New York Times reported the Trump administration was repurposing Social Security's list of dead people who should no longer receive benefits to include the names of living people whom the government believes should be treated as if they are dead.

The White House has said that the migrants being targeted lost their legal status in the U.S., including those who entered under one of President Joe Biden's temporary work programs, or have ties to terrorist activity or criminal records.

The names of more than 6,300 migrants whose legal status had been revoked were added to the file, the Times reported.

As of Friday, 31 individuals had been restored to the databases, declaring them living again.

Some migrants have shown up at field offices with driver's licenses and work permits to prove their legitimacy, the records show.

The Post reported that migrants who incorrectly had been listed as being dead included individuals as young as 13 and as old as 83.

The request to label immigrants dead came from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, the Post previously reported. The secretary signed two memorandums of agreement with acting Social Security commissioner Leland Dudek authorizing the placement of the immigrants in the death list file.

DOGE chief Elon Musk recently shared a chart showing 2.1 million noncitizens in 2024 were found with Social Security numbers.

While all U.S. citizens are assigned Social Security numbers, according to a Scripps News report, documented immigrants who are authorized to work in the U.S. register for numbers so that part of their paychecks can go toward supporting Social Security. Noncitizens may also be able to request a number if they attend school, or have a valid nonwork reason.

 

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