To push self-deportation, Trump administration lists thousands living immigrants as dead, cancels their social security number

The Trump administration has listed over 6,000 living immigrants as dead, cancelling their Social Security numbers and stopping them from working or receiving benefits, according to a report by news agency Associated Press.

Since becoming US president, Donald Trump has worked to remove temporary legal status from hundreds of thousands of immigrants who entered the United States during Joe Biden’s presidency.

This action will make it harder for the affected immigrants to use banks or access services that require Social Security numbers. It is part of a wider plan by President Trump to limit the stay of immigrants who were allowed into the country temporarily under policies from the Biden administration.

The Washington Post reported that putting these immigrants on the " death file " is "aimed at putting pressure on the undocumented immigrants to leave the country."

Federal officials are placing the immigrants’ names and Social Security numbers into a database normally used to track people who have died.

Officials said removing the Social Security numbers will block access to financial services and push immigrants to “self-deport” and return to their home countries.

In the United States, Social Security numbers are used to report income, apply for welfare benefits, and for other purposes.

Many people who are in the country without legal status still have Social Security numbers. A large number came during Biden’s presidency, which allowed some people to enter temporarily in an effort to reduce illegal border crossings.

The Washington Post quoted a White House official as saying that once people are marked as dead in the Social Security system, they will be blocked by most employers, landlords, banks, and federal agencies. This would stop them from being able to earn a living in the United States.

According to media reports, the decision to use the "death file" was led by staff from Elon Musk’s department of government efficiency, also known as DOGE.

The New York Times, citing government documents, reported that the first group of 6,300 people includes "convicted criminals and 'suspected terrorists.'"

However, both the Washington Post and the New York Times reported that the policy could soon affect a larger number of undocumented migrants .

Using the Social Security system in this way comes after another move by the administration to give immigration authorities access to taxpayer data from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which was announced on Tuesday.

Millions of undocumented migrants have been paying taxes for years, hoping to support their immigration cases and help fund large federal programs like Social Security.