Did any policy changes under Biden expand access to Social Security numbers for immigrants?
Executive summary
The available reporting shows no single Biden “policy” that broadly opened Social Security numbers (SSNs) to unauthorized immigrants; instead, increases in SSNs issued to noncitizens stem from existing procedures and a joint Enumeration Beyond Entry (EBE) program that assigns SSNs to migrants who obtain work authorization, green cards or naturalization [1] [2]. Conservative critics and the Trump White House cite large year-to-year increases—for example, more than 2 million noncitizens received SSNs in fiscal 2024 according to some fact sheets and commentary—but independent fact-checks and SSA descriptions say EBE issues numbers only to those with lawful work authorization [3] [1] [2].
1. What actually changed: program mechanics, not a blanket expansion
Journalists and fact-checkers identify Enumeration Beyond Entry (EBE), a joint program of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Social Security Administration, as the mechanism behind rising SSN counts; EBE issues SSNs to migrants who have successfully applied for employment authorization, permanent residency or citizenship—not to people without lawful work status [1]. Reporting traces higher totals to more migrants becoming eligible for work authorization under existing pathways rather than a unilateral policy to give SSNs to undocumented people [1] [2].
2. The numbers and the political framing
Several news outlets and White House/press materials highlight sharp year-over-year rises: a jump from roughly 590,000 noncitizens receiving SSNs in FY2022 to about 964,000 in 2023, and claims of "more than 2 million" in FY2024 appear in Republican White House materials and partisan outlets [2] [3]. Opponents frame those figures as evidence of intentional expansion by the Biden administration; fact-checkers and reporting caution that counts reflect who became lawfully authorized to work and were thus eligible for SSNs under existing rules [1] [2].
3. What government sources say about eligibility
The Social Security Administration’s publicly stated rule is that "lawfully present noncitizens ... who meet all eligibility requirements can qualify for Social Security benefits" and that noncitizens authorized to work who obtain an SSN after 2003 may qualify—language that predates the Biden presidency and underpins EBE’s operations [4] [5]. Snopes and other debunking coverage emphasize that EBE issues numbers only after migrants secure work authorization or other lawful status [1].
4. Republican response and policy reversal efforts
The Trump White House in 2025 issued memoranda and fact sheets arguing the previous administration’s policies led to large SSN issuance to noncitizens and directed steps to prevent "illegal aliens" from obtaining Social Security Act benefits, signaling a political effort to reverse or restrict access [6] [3]. Those documents present the issue as an abuse of benefits systems and cite the same rising SSN figures as evidence—but they frame them as a problem to be solved rather than concede a prior policy explicitly granting SSNs to unauthorized migrants [3] [6].
5. Disputed claims and common misinformation
High-profile claims—such as that “millions” of undocumented immigrants were handed SSNs with “virtually zero vetting”—have circulated widely on social media and partisan sites; independent reviewers say those claims lack context because EBE is limited to migrants who obtain permission to work and go through USCIS processes [7] [1]. Analysts quoted in coverage call the larger issuance “inevitable” given the number of migrants who obtained lawful status or work authorization, not proof of a secret program to issue SSNs to the undocumented [2] [1].
6. What reporting does not show / limitations of available sources
Available sources do not mention a single Biden executive order or new statute that directly created a blanket entitlement to SSNs for unauthorized immigrants; instead, the record points to program administration and more migrants lawfully qualifying for work status [1] [2]. Detailed government tabulations or an SSA policy memo explicitly declaring an expansion beyond existing eligibility rules are not present in the provided reporting (not found in current reporting).
7. Bottom line for readers
The factual core: increases in SSNs issued to noncitizens during the Biden years are documented in press and partisan briefings, but authoritative fact-checking and SSA/USCIS descriptions say those SSNs were issued under EBE to people who obtained lawful work authorization or other legal statuses—meaning the change was procedural and eligibility-based, not a wholesale policy to gift SSNs to unauthorized immigrants [1] [2] [3]. Readers should treat raw counts released in political statements as accurate but incomplete without the procedural context provided by SSA/USCIS explanations and independent fact-checks [1] [3].