Tech billionaire Elon Musk has alleged that more than 2 million migrants who entered the U.S. illegally in 2024 were issued Social Security numbers and used them to claim benefits they were not entitled to receive.
Speaking at a town hall in Wisconsin, Musk presented data from the Social Security Administration’s Enumeration Beyond Entry (EBE) program, which showed that nearly 2.1 million migrants received Social Security numbers in fiscal year 2024.
This was a significant rise from 590,000 in 2022 and 964,000 in 2023. The Trump administration estimates that around 11 million undocumented immigrants currently reside in the U.S.
Musk, alongside venture capitalist Antonio Gracias, who has been working with the Department of Government Efficiency to investigate the SSA, called the distribution of Social Security numbers a sign of fraud within the agency.
How Migrants Obtain Social Security Numbers?
According to the SSA, noncitizens must be authorized by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to work in the country before applying for a Social Security number.
Eligibility for Supplemental Security Income requires specific classifications, such as lawful permanent residency, asylum, or refugee status.
Gracias, however, claimed that many migrants were issued Social Security numbers automatically without interviews or identity verification after receiving work permits.
The EBE program, introduced in 2017 during Donald Trump’s presidency, was designed to streamline Social Security number issuance for eligible migrants.
A 2019 SSA inspector general report stated that Homeland Security was responsible for verifying the legal status of applicants before issuing numbers.
A spokesperson for the SSA did not respond to NewsNation’s request for comment on Musk’s claims.
Musk Alleges Biden’s Policy is a ‘Massive’ Political Strategy
Musk accused the Biden administration of using the Social Security number distribution as part of a larger effort to reshape the political landscape by increasing the number of undocumented migrants in the U.S. He claimed the goal was to create a permanent Democratic majority.
Gracias also alleged that migrants with Social Security numbers were receiving maximum benefits and using them to register to vote. Previously, Musk had suggested that Social Security benefits were being paid to millions of deceased individuals.
Despite the rise in Social Security number issuance, a 2023 government audit cited by The Washington Post found that the SSA correctly processed applications for noncitizens 99.8% of the time.
Migrants’ Contributions to Social Security
A 2024 analysis by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP) found that migrants contributed $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022.
Migrants with work permits paid $25.7 billion in Social Security taxes and $6.4 billion in Medicare taxes, despite being ineligible for most federal benefits.
The report also suggested that expanding work authorization to all migrants could increase tax contributions from $40.2 billion to $136.9 billion annually, with over $33 billion benefiting the federal government.
As Donald Trump campaigns on halting illegal immigration, the debate over Social Security benefits for migrants remains a major political issue.
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