Fact check: DHS Secretary Kristi Noem STUNS, reveals 9 MILLION Social Security numbers were given to illegals in four years under Joe Biden.

1. What the claim actually asserts and why it grabbed attention

The viral claim alleges a specific numeric transfer — 9 million Social Security numbers issued to “illegals” during four years of the Biden administration — framed as a startling administrative failure. This kind of numeric allegation is dramatic because Social Security numbers are core to identity, taxation, and benefits systems; if true it would indicate systemic breakdown. Available fact-checking and reporting on migration and Social Security administration activity do examine large numbers related to migration, canceled SSNs, and enumeration practices, but the sources provided do not present evidence supporting this specific 9 million issuance figure and instead contextualize how SSNs are issued to work-authorized noncitizens and how programs like Enumeration Beyond Entry operate ^{[4] [2] [1]}.

2. How the Social Security Administration and DHS actually process noncitizen SSNs

Federal practice issues Social Security numbers to noncitizens who are legally authorized to work so they can pay taxes and access entitled programs; having an SSN does not equate to U.S. citizenship or voter registration. The Enumeration Beyond Entry program and interagency data exchanges are designed to speed lawful issuance and reduce in-person visits ^{[5] [2]}. Recent departmental materials describe efforts to consolidate verification systems to accurately record noncitizen status and prevent wrongful entitlements, which runs counter to the idea of a mass, unchecked handing out of numbers to unauthorized individuals ^[3]. These program descriptions and audits demonstrate structured processes rather than uncontrolled issuance.

3. What reporting and audits actually found versus the viral number

Investigations and audits have highlighted problems such as thousands of SSNs being canceled or conflicts where living immigrants were misclassified as deceased — matters of concern but orders of magnitude smaller than 9 million ^{[6] [7]}. Office of Inspector General audits documented issues like duplicate or erroneous enumerations under specific programs, but those reports describe procedural vulnerabilities and remediation steps rather than blanket, mass issuance to unauthorized populations ^[2]. Independent fact-checks of adjacent claims by public officials have found misleading or overstated numbers based on shaky survey methods, underscoring the need for careful verification before accepting large numeric assertions ^[4].

4. Contradictions, missing evidence, and what would be required to verify the claim

The claim lacks a primary documentary trace: there is no cited SSA release, DHS database extract, or peer-reviewed audit showing a 9 million count tied to unauthorized status over the specified four-year window. Establishing such a claim would require dated, agency-level data cross-linking SSN issuance records with legal status determinations and time-stamped adjudication outcomes. The sources provided include governance reforms and reporting on smaller-scale problems, but none contain the matching dataset or methodology that would substantiate the headline figure ^{[3] [2]}. Absent that, the claim remains unverified and inconsistent with available documentation.

5. Multiple viewpoints, likely motives, and the broader context the headline omits

Reporting and official materials show two policy realities: agencies work to issue SSNs to work-authorized noncitizens and to fix errors that wrongly cancel or duplicate numbers; both are technical administrative activities often politicized in public debate ^{[1] [6]}. Political actors may amplify isolated administrative issues into sweeping claims for political effect; fact-checks highlight overreach or methodological flaws when large numbers are asserted without transparent sourcing ^[4]. The broader context also includes ongoing DHS and SSA system overhauls aimed at improving verification and reducing fraud, which complicates simplistic narratives of wholesale improper issuance ^[3].

6. Bottom line: what can be stated with confidence and what remains open

With confidence: federal policy issues SSNs to noncitizens who are legally authorized to work, audits have identified procedural problems affecting thousands, and DHS/SSA are updating verification systems to improve accuracy ^{[1] [7] [3]}. What remains open: there is no verifiable evidence within the supplied reporting that 9 million SSNs were given to unauthorized immigrants in a four-year span; the claim is unsubstantiated by the provided sources and would require agency-level data to confirm. Readers should treat the 9 million figure as unsupported until a primary data release or an independent audit documents it ^{[4] [2]}.