Have there been documented cases of noncitizens receiving Social Security numbers fraudulently?

1. What the documents actually describe: legal issuance vs. fraud

Multiple news outlets and fact‑checkers report that a sharp rise in SSNs issued to “noncitizens” reflects a legal process called Enumeration Beyond Entry, in which U.S. immigration agencies collect and verify information for people who are lawfully admitted or otherwise authorized to work; the increase was expected by immigration and SSA experts rather than evidence of wholesale fraud ^[1]. The Social Security Administration and government audits show the vast majority of noncitizen SSN cases were processed correctly — a 2023 audit cited in reporting found 99.8% correct processing for such cases ^{[2] [3]}.

2. Where allegations of fraud come from and how they were presented

Allegations of widespread or “mind‑blowing” fraud surfaced after public presentations by private watchdog figures associated with Elon Musk and DOGE staff, who highlighted charts showing large numbers of SSNs issued to noncitizens and suggested impropriety; their critics and fact‑checkers countered that the chart mixed legally issued SSNs for authorized migrants and thus misrepresented routine program activity as fraud ^{[4] [5] [1]}.

3. Documented misuse of SSNs — sporadic but real

Reporting and watchdog pieces in the sample confirm that SSN misuse and identity theft occur: investigative stories and watchdog reports note instances of stolen or fraudulently used SSNs by undocumented workers and schemes that exploit system weaknesses ^{[6] [7]}. These pieces describe real harms — such as Americans whose SSNs are used by others and cases where a single SSN was associated with many improper subsidy claims — though the scale and context are contested across outlets ^{[6] [7]}.

4. What government audits and fact‑checkers say about scale and accuracy

Fact‑check and news reporting emphasize that government audits and SSA explanations attribute much of the rise in noncitizen SSNs to expected policy and procedural factors (like EBE) and that error rates reported in audits were very low (99.8% correct processing in one cited audit), undermining claims of systemic, rampant fraudulent issuance in the EBE context ^{[1] [2] [3]}.

5. Conflicting narratives and political framing

Coverage shows partisan and advocacy actors use the same data to push different conclusions: critics (including some conservative outlets and commentators) frame numbers as proof of lax controls and fraud, while fact‑checkers and mainstream reporting underline lawful issuance and audit findings; both narratives emphasize different risks (identity theft vs. program transparency) and may reflect hidden agendas — political actors seek policy leverage, and watchdogs seek reform ^{[5] [7] [1]}.

6. What the available sources do not say

Available sources do not present a definitive, quantified national tally of noncitizens who obtained SSNs fraudulently separate from lawful EBE issuances; they also do not provide a single authoritative estimate of total SSN misuse tied specifically to migrants vs. other causes. Where large‑scale fraud is alleged, the sources either point to isolated investigations or to contested watchdog findings rather than uniform government confirmation ^{[6] [7]}.

7. Bottom line for readers seeking clarity

There are documented cases of SSN misuse and identity theft affecting noncitizens and citizens alike (investigative reporting and watchdog work document such incidents), but the recent surge in SSNs issued to “noncitizens” has been explained by the SSA and independent fact‑checkers as largely lawful EBE processing with high audit accuracy ^{[6] [2] [1]}. Readers should treat dramatic political claims about “millions” of fraudulently issued SSNs with caution and weigh them against government audit findings and reporting that distinguish lawful issuance from illicit identity fraud ^{[2] [1]}.

Sources: reporting and fact checks compiled above ^{[4] [2] [1] [6] [7] [3] [5]}.