How many noncitizens were removed from Social Security records in 2025 by the Social Security Administration?

1. What the key reports actually say: a narrow operation, not an agency-wide count

The Guardian and Reuters reporting describe a specific move in which the administration “moved to classify more than 6,000 living immigrants as dead,” effectively canceling their Social Security numbers and making those numbers unusable for work or benefits ^[1]. Reuters characterizes the action as an effort to pressure some immigrants to “self-deport” by adding them to the Social Security “death master list,” citing an administration official and related statements ^[3]. Those are the concrete numbers and descriptions in the available reporting; none of the supplied sources claim a larger, single-year removal total from SSA records for 2025 beyond that figure ^{[1] [3]}.

2. Administration intent and sweeping rhetoric: policy statements vs. reported actions

The White House fact sheet frames the initiative as part of a broader drive to “prevent illegal aliens from obtaining Social Security Act benefits” and says the President directed a push to ensure ineligible aliens are not receiving funds — language that signals a wide policy objective but does not provide a precise count of SSNs revoked ^[2]. That rhetorical framing contrasts with journalistic accounts that focus on the specific operation affecting thousands, showing a gap between sweeping policy claims and the documented, narrower action in the public record ^{[2] [1]}.

3. Independent reporting versus administration characterization: competing frames

The Guardian and Reuters report specific operational details and figures — over 6,000 people moved to the death list — and describe tangible harms such as loss of ability to work or access to financial services ^{[1] [3]}. The White House and allied statements emphasize deterrence — “removing the monetary incentive” — and broader program goals without quantifying actions at scale ^[2]. Both perspectives coexist in reporting: one documents the immediate administrative tactic and count; the other advances the policy rationale but lacks matching empirical detail in the sources provided ^{[1] [2]}.

4. What the SSA’s established rules and limits say about entitlement and SSNs

Background material in these sources reiterates that SSA issues SSNs to people authorized to work and that eligibility for Social Security benefits generally depends on covered work and contributions, whether one is a citizen or an authorized noncitizen ^{[4] [5]}. NewsNation and Congress background clarify that only noncitizens authorized by US Citizenship and Immigration Services are generally eligible for SSNs — a legal baseline the administration invokes when arguing ineligibility ^{[5] [4]}. Those statutory rules help explain the administration’s stated justifications for targeting specific records ^{[4] [5]}.

5. Wider implications reported and disputed: practical harms and legal concerns

Journalistic accounts stress real-world consequences: people labeled “dead” lose access to employment, banking, and benefits, and some affected include children, according to reporters ^{[1] [5]}. Government Executive coverage also shows internal SSA proposals could affect payments to beneficiaries or payees lacking SSNs, highlighting bureaucratic strain and policy risk even within administrative proposals ^[6]. Available sources do not include SSA’s detailed, authoritative tally of every 2025 removal or a legal analysis adjudicating the practice’s validity; those items are not found in current reporting ^{[1] [6]}.

6. Bottom line for the original question

Based on the supplied reporting, the clearest numeric claim is that more than 6,000 living immigrants were moved to a database used for deceased persons — a step that canceled their Social Security numbers and was reported in April 2025 ^[1]. The sources do not provide a comprehensive SSA-wide total for all noncitizen removals in 2025; available sources do not mention a broader, consolidated agency count for the year beyond the figures and initiatives reported ^{[1] [3] [2]}.