In a shocking move, the Trump administration reportedly marked 6,000 immigrants as "dead" in official U.S. records, despite them being alive, in a strategic attempt to force their departure from the country. This administrative act, critics say, effectively kills their legal existence, as it leads to the automatic cancellation of their Social Security Numbers (SSNs), which are essential for survival in the United States.
Sources revealed that the affected individuals were among the thousands who entered the U.S. on temporary permits through various asylum and humanitarian programs. While such permits are issued for short-term stay, many immigrants reportedly did not return to their home countries even after their authorization expired.
Without a valid SSN, these immigrants are cut off from almost every essential service — they cannot legally work, access healthcare, rent homes, or even engage in small transactions. In the absence of a formal deportation process, officials are said to have adopted this controversial method as a workaround to make them leave voluntarily.
As per reports, this decision was taken after the authorities realized it would be difficult to locate and deport each individual overstaying their permit. By marking them as deceased in the system, their existence is essentially erased from official databases, rendering them invisible in the legal and financial framework of the country.
Quoting a Telugu proverb, critics compared the act to “killing someone without a weapon,” highlighting the psychological and economic pressure this tactic imposes on immigrants. The move is now drawing sharp criticism from immigrant rights groups and legal experts who allege it’s an inhumane way to deal with asylum seekers.
Officials confirmed that nearly 90,000 immigrants had entered under programs rolled out by the Biden administration, but this action appears to be a remnant of Trump-era policies still in effect.
