For years, illegal immigrants have been quietly allowed to use Social Security Numbers—some stolen, some wrongly issued—to access government benefits like Medicaid, Medicare, unemployment, federal loans, and even credit cards and bank accounts. It’s a backdoor amnesty that never went through Congress—and it’s cost Americans dearly.
Now, Trump is closing that loophole.
The administration is partnering with the SSA to transfer these active SSNs into what’s known as the “death file”—a database typically reserved for deceased individuals. While this might sound strange, it’s an effective way to immediately block the use of those numbers for fraud, employment, or benefit collection.
This move sends a powerful message: If you’re in this country illegally, you can’t expect to stay under the radar and collect benefits.
According to Kristi Noem, around 800,000 migrants who have been ordered to leave by federal judges are still in the country. That’s where the effort starts—but it won’t end there.
The next phase? 92,000 more illegal migrants with criminal convictions will be added to the target list, and eventually, the system will expand to cover all illegal migrants using SSNs to game the system.
This is more than just an immigration enforcement move—it’s a massive economic reset.
For decades, both Republican and Democrat administrations looked the other way as millions of illegal immigrants used fake or borrowed SSNs to collect tax benefits and depress wages. While some in government quietly celebrated the tax revenue, the real cost was borne by everyday Americans.
A 2018 report by the Immigration Reform Law Institute (IRLI) found that between 2012 and 2016 alone, as many as 39 million cases of identity theft were linked to illegal immigrants using stolen Social Security numbers.
And it didn’t stop there:
- Wages for American workers dropped.
- Housing prices soared as demand exploded.
- Health and education systems were strained beyond capacity.
Now, with this new enforcement measure, President Trump is turning the tide.
Rather than rounding people up en masse, the Trump strategy is practical: cut off access to benefits and financial tools, and many illegal migrants will choose to leave on their own.
“Thousands of people have already self-deported,” Secretary Noem reported during an April 10 cabinet meeting.
In fact, the White House is now even offering plane tickets to help illegal migrants return home—an idea that not only saves taxpayer money in the long run but also helps prioritize those who want to come here legally and contribute the right way.
“We’re going to work with people so that if they go out in a nice, legal way and go back to their country, we’ll help them apply the right way to come back in,” President Trump said.
He emphasized that certain industries—like farming and hospitality—will have access to legal guest workers, ensuring that American employers aren’t left short-handed. But those days of abusing the system and skirting the law? They’re done.
This bold move isn’t just about immigration—it’s about restoring fairness in the American economy.
With millions of illegal migrants leaving the workforce, businesses will be forced to:
- Pay higher wages to attract American workers
- Invest in automation and innovation
- Stop relying on cheap, illegal labor
At the same time, the pressure on housing markets, hospitals, and schools is expected to ease—giving American families a chance to breathe after years of Biden-era chaos
This is what leadership looks like.
While Joe Biden and the radical left welcomed chaos at the border, President Trump is bringing order and common sense back to our country. By removing the perks that once made illegal immigration so appealing, Trump is setting the stage for a stronger, safer, more prosperous America.
And this is just the beginning.
