Daijiworld Media Network- Washington
Washington, Apr 11: In a move that has ignited a fresh firestorm of controversy, the Trump administration has reportedly classified more than 6,000 living immigrants as deceased, according to sources familiar with the matter. The move, aimed at stripping these individuals of their Social Security numbers, appears to be a strategic effort to cut them off from critical services and pressure them to leave the United States voluntarily.
Two officials with direct knowledge of the development, speaking anonymously, revealed Thursday night that the immigrants’ names and legally obtained Social Security numbers have been transferred to a federal database typically reserved for tracking the deceased. The result: these immigrants are now locked out of jobs, banking, and essential services.
This drastic step is reportedly part of a broader immigration crackdown targeting beneficiaries of Biden-era temporary protection programs. It follows this week’s decision by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to revoke the legal status of immigrants who had entered the U.S. using the CBP One app — a move affecting hundreds of thousands of individuals who had been granted temporary work authorizations under presidential parole.
Legal and political backlash mounting
The Trump administration’s actions are already facing pushback. A federal judge intervened on Thursday to block the forced removal of hundreds of thousands of Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans whose legal status had also been revoked. Meanwhile, privacy and immigration advocates are preparing for legal challenges.
“This President continues to engage in lawless behaviour, violating the law and abusing our systems of checks and balances,” said Skye Perryman, CEO of Democracy Forward, a nonprofit advocacy group. The organization is expected to initiate legal proceedings once more details of the Social Security maneuver emerge.
IRS deal raises privacy alarms
In a parallel development, the DHS and Treasury Department inked a deal this week allowing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to access IRS tax data for cross-checking with immigrant records. The move led to the resignation of acting IRS Commissioner Melanie Krause, who reportedly opposed the agreement on ethical grounds.
Under the deal, ICE can submit lists of suspected undocumented immigrants for verification against tax filings, a practice critics say violates fundamental privacy norms and weaponizes financial data.
SSA silent, musk team blocked
The Social Security Administration has yet to comment on the unprecedented classification of living people as deceased. The agency maintains a database of over 142 million death records going back to 1899, which is widely used across the government and financial sectors.
Adding to the turbulence, a federal judge in March blocked a controversial team—reportedly linked to billionaire Elon Musk and tasked with cutting government jobs—from accessing the SSA's sensitive data systems, calling their involvement a "fishing expedition."
As political and legal tensions escalate, immigrant families and advocacy groups brace for what may become one of the most contentious immigration battles of the Trump presidency