WASHINGTON – In another immigration overhaul, the Trump administration has barred the illegal immigrants from receiving social security benefits, further tightening the rules regarding immigrants.
The White House said in a statement on Tuesday that the fresh piece of legislation directs the administration to ensure ineligible aliens are not receiving funds from Social Security Act programs.
The directives issued by the White House include promulgating guidance and prioritizing enforcement actions against grantees or sub-grantees that do not verify eligibility, stop payments to deceased or ineligible payees, or otherwise prevent ineligible aliens from receiving funds.
The memo issued by Trump in this regard also expands the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) fraud prosecutor program to at least 50 U.S. Attorney Offices and establishes a Medicare and Medicaid fraud-prosecution program in 15 U.S. Attorney Offices.
The White House also highlighted that the memorandum issued by the president requires the SSA Inspector General to investigate earnings reports for individuals aged 100 or older with mismatched SSA records, to combat identity theft.
The administration has also directed the SSA to consider whether to reinstate the use of civil monetary penalties against individuals who engage in Social Security fraud.
The White House also took a dig at former president and claimed that Joe Biden oversaw a sharp increase in the number of immigrants given Social Security Numbers (SSNs), with more than 2 million illegal aliens assigned SSNs in fiscal year 2024 alone.
Citing data by the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), the White House claimed that American taxpayers spend at least $182 billion annually to cover the costs incurred by the presence of 20 million illegal aliens and their children. It has also been stated by the White House that nearly a million illegal aliens hold stolen identifications or fraudulent SSNs.
The official press release by the White House also clarified that President Trump was removing the monetary incentive for illegal aliens to come to the United States.and the fresh memo builds on an Executive Order signed in February to ensure taxpayer resources are not used to incentivize or support illegal immigration.
