A federal judge asked the acting head of the Social Security Administration to attend a hearing in order to “clarify” rumours that the Trump administration is putting thousands of immigrants on the agency’s “death master file” in order to pressure them to leave the country, but the acting head of the agency declined.
Arguments about the extension of U.S. District Judge Ellen Lipton Hollander’s temporary restraining order that prevents the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing identifying documents at the Social Security Administration were heard Tuesday. Thursday is the order’s expiration date.
Judge Hollander claimed last week that the Trump administration was “repurposing Social Security’s ‘death master file’ in an effort to pressure immigrants to’self deport,'” and he invited Acting Social Security Administration Commissioner Leland Dudek to appear to “clarify” certain facts.
As of last week, the file now contained almost 6,000 names of migrants whose legal statuses had been terminated.
Additionally, it was stated that Dudek sent an email to Social Security Administration employees asserting that these people’s “financial lives” would be “terminated.”
According to reports, a small group of Social Security employees have the authority to declare someone “dead” in the records without any supporting documentation. In actuality, it seems that the goal is to harass those who are believed to be alive.
People have significant challenges in finding work, banking, and insurance after they are deemed dead by Social Security.
The government had earlier informed the court that the DOGE team was working on a project concerning the death master file, but Judge Hollander pointed out that this “does not correspond to what was described in the news.”
Dudek’s testimony “may be helpful” in understanding the numerous projects that he has mentioned in his filings, Hollander stressed.
However, government solicitors told the court on Monday, the day before the hearing, that authorities had decided Dudek would not show up after examining the “evidentiary record” and “the demands on the Acting Commissioner’s time.” They chose to “stand on the record in its current form” instead.
A affidavit from Tiffany Flick, a former Social Security Administration officer, outlining the death master file was provided earlier that day by attorneys for the plaintiffs, who included nonprofit organisations and labour unions.
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Erroneously declaring someone dead has “severe” repercussions, she wrote. Individuals who are classified as deceased while still living may not be able to qualify for bank loans, rent a car, get FEMA benefits, or find employment. Life insurance plans may be cancelled, and applications for insurance coverage may be denied.
“Intentionally marking people who are still living as dead” in the death master file is “unheard of and improper,” Flick stated.
Additionally, Elon Musk and Trump’s claims that tens of millions of real deceased people had been getting Social Security benefits were undermined by her announcement.
According to Flick’s description of the death master file, the Social Security Administration receives death reports from all 50 states via an automated system. The data contains “minimal” errors, she wrote.
