Fact check: Did Biden give SS numbers to illegal migrants during his term in office

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, the question about Biden giving Social Security numbers to illegal migrants reveals a complex situation with conflicting claims and limited direct evidence.

Elon Musk's central claim states that the Biden administration gave Social Security numbers to over 2 million immigrants who entered the US illegally in fiscal year 2024, allowing them to collect benefits they are not entitled to receive ^[1]. However, the analyses note that this claim is based on Musk's statement and not directly verified ^[1].

The Trump administration's position, as outlined in a White House Fact Sheet, claims that the Biden administration oversaw a sharp increase in the number of immigrants given Social Security Numbers, with more than 2 million illegal aliens assigned SSNs in fiscal year 2024 alone ^{[2] [3]}. However, this source does not provide direct evidence of Biden personally giving SS numbers to illegal migrants ^[2].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several crucial pieces of context are missing from the original question:

• The Enumeration Beyond Entry program, which allows the Social Security Administration to issue Social Security numbers to migrants with work authorizations, actually began in 2017 during the Trump administration, not under Biden ^[1]. This program predates Biden's presidency by four years.
• Immigrants actually help bolster the finances of Social Security rather than drain them, as undocumented immigrants contribute more to Social Security than they receive in benefits ^[4]. This contradicts the narrative that SSN distribution to migrants is purely detrimental.
• The Trump administration has taken aggressive countermeasures, including classifying over 6,000 living immigrants as dead, canceling their Social Security numbers and effectively wiping out their ability to work or receive benefits in an effort to get them to leave the country ^[5].

Who benefits from different narratives:

• Elon Musk and political figures opposing Biden benefit from promoting the narrative that Biden inappropriately distributed SSNs to illegal migrants
• The Trump administration benefits from positioning itself as the solution to alleged Biden-era abuses
• Immigration advocacy groups would benefit from emphasizing immigrants' positive contributions to Social Security

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains several potentially misleading elements:

• Attribution bias: The question implies Biden personally "gave" SS numbers, when the process involves existing federal programs and bureaucratic procedures, not direct presidential action.
• Missing temporal context: The question fails to acknowledge that the relevant program (Enumeration Beyond Entry) was established during the Trump administration in 2017 ^[1], not created by Biden.
• Omission of legal framework: The question doesn't distinguish between migrants with work authorization (who are legally entitled to SSNs) and those without such authorization.
• Lack of verification: The primary claims supporting this narrative come from Elon Musk's statements that are not directly verified ^[1], yet the question treats the premise as established fact.
• One-sided framing: The question ignores the documented fact that immigrants contribute more to Social Security than they receive ^[4], presenting only the potential negative aspects of SSN distribution.