The administration of President Donald Trump classified thousands of living people as deceased, which removes their Social Security numbers and complicates their access to essential services, in a move that has raised alarm among immigrant rights organizations.
The move, denounced by activists as “digital assassination,” represents a new chapter in the restrictive policy toward migrants who were allowed to reside legally in the United States thanks to programs implemented during previous administrations.
The immigrants affected, who are legally in the United States, were included in the Social Security Administration’s “Master Death File.” This inclusion virtually erases them from the system, leaving them unable to use their Social Security number for such basic operations as opening a bank account or accessing financial and government services.
From the White House, the policy was justified as part of an effort to curb illegal immigration. “By removing the monetary incentive for illegal immigrants to come and stay, we will encourage them to self-deport,” an official spokesman said. However, this claim conflicts with the legal status of many of those affected.
The measure has been criticized by human rights experts and community leaders, who point out that beyond the official rhetoric, what is at stake is the daily viability of thousands of people who now face bureaucratic, financial and legal obstacles because of a strategy they describe as extreme and dehumanizing.
Who is affected by the elimination of the Social Security number?
The controversial measure has put at the center of the debate more than 6,300 immigrants whose parole was canceled and whose names and Social Security numbers were transferred to a federal database that, until now, was reserved for deceased persons.
According to a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity, those affected were identified by the Department of Homeland Security as foreign nationals on temporary parole, allegedly linked to the terrorist watch list or with criminal records at the FBI. However, the administration has not offered any evidence to support these allegations.
The move translated into an unprecedented action: transferring these living people to the ‘Master Death File’, a historical record maintained by the Social Security Administration that contains more than 142 million entries since 1899. This database is the official source for confirming deaths in the United States and its use has direct consequences on the legal identity, access to services and financial life of any individual.
In what appears to be an attempt to reconfigure its function, the White House has begun referring to this file as the ‘Master File of Ineligibles’, reinforcing the idea that the goal is to block those affected from accessing federal benefits and services, despite being legally in the country.
The last phase of this operation was carried out on April 8, when the Customs and Border Protection notified in writing the cancellation of parole to all persons included in the measure.