This is nothing more than political theatre. Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, says
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order prohibiting unauthorised immigrants from receiving Social Security payments, something they were already denied under current legislation.
The Social Security Administration and other agencies were instructed by Trump to “ensure ineligible aliens are not receiving funds from Social Security Act programs” in the latest memo.
However, Social Security payments are not paid to undocumented immigrants.
“Lawfully present noncitizens of the United States who meet all eligibility requirements can qualify for Social Security benefits,” the Social Security Administration states.
“Responsibilities paid to “resident aliens” who labour in the United States “are liable to Social Security/Medicare taxes under the same regulations that apply to U.S. citizens,” it said.
Although they do not benefit from those programs, undocumented immigrant workers contribute to their funding through payroll taxes.
“This memo is completely unnecessary. There’s already a law preventing undocumented immigrants from getting benefits,” said Nancy Altman, president of the advocacy group Social Security Works. “This is just political theater designed to further demonize immigrants and undermine confidence in Social Security.”
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency program has attacked Social Security, claiming it is searching the federal government for waste, fraud, and abuse.
The Social Security Administration, whose employment was already at a 50-year low, announced plans to liquidate some regional offices and reduce 12% of its workforce, or 7,000 jobs.
Regarding the regulations allowing recipients to confirm their identity over the phone, the agency has also changed its mind.
“Social Security already has robust protections against fraud, which are being undermined by Elon Musk’s DOGE. By pushing out thousands of staff and sowing confusion and chaos, DOGE is creating waste and making Social Security more vulnerable to fraud and abuse,” Altman stated.
In addition, Trump’s directive mandates that earnings reports for individuals 100 years of age or older with mismatched Social Security records be investigated, and it extends the fraud prosecutor program to at least 50 U.S. Attorney’s offices by October 1.
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According to media reports this week, the Trump administration was putting select foreign workers to a database of deceased people and removing their legitimately obtained Social Security numbers.
People cannot work, own bank accounts or credit cards, rent homes, or engage in other financial activities without their Social Security numbers.
That action is intended to pressure the workers to “self-deport,” which cited documents it had seen and six people with knowledge of the intentions.
