Trump administration labels 6,000 Latino immigrants dead, hoping they self-deport

Source: Washington Post

At the request of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem, the Social Security Administration this week added the names and Social Security numbers of more than 6,000 mostly Latino immigrants into a database it uses to track dead people, effectively erasing their ability to receive benefits or work in the United States, according to four people familiar with the situation and records obtained by The Washington Post.

The immigrants entered the United States through the Biden administration’s parole programs, which granted temporary work permits to hundreds of thousands of people who did not have a visa or another way to enter the country. Some arrived through border checkpoints, others flew into airports. After taking office, the Trump administration abolished the categorical programs, but the impact is unclear. These are people who are here legally who will never be able to do anything in the U.S. that requires a Social Security Number check ever again.

A White House official — who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the new program — said those who were moved into the Social Security database this week all have ties to terrorist activity or criminal records. The official did not provide evidence of the alleged crimes or terrorist ties but said some are included on the FBI’s terror watch list.

“President Trump promised mass deportations and by removing the monetary incentive for illegal aliens to come and stay, we will encourage them to self deport,” Elizabeth Huston, a White House spokeswoman, said in a statement. “He is delivering on his promise he made to the American people.”

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