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Fact check: Did two million immigrants receive social security numbers?
Executive Summary
The core factual finding is that federal data and multiple news reports show about 2.1 million Social Security numbers were issued to noncitizens in fiscal year 2024, a record annual total; that figure underpins public claims that “two million immigrants received Social Security numbers” but requires context about legal status and program rules. The Social Security Administration and other federal guidance make clear that SSNs are assigned to noncitizens who are lawfully present and authorized to work, while recent political actions and investigations reflect disputes over program eligibility and whether some ineligible individuals have received benefits [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. Why the “two million” figure caught fire and what it actually measures
Reports that “over two million immigrants received Social Security numbers” derive from enumeration statistics showing 2.1 million SSNs issued to noncitizens in FY2024, a historical high reported in April 2025 and cited by public figures [1] [2]. That raw issuance count measures the number of SSNs assigned; it does not equate to proof that recipients were undocumented or that they subsequently obtained improper benefits. The Social Security Administration’s rules state SSNs are issued to individuals with lawful presence and work authorization; the issuance statistic therefore largely reflects lawful work-authorized individuals, new arrivals with employment permission, and programmatic efforts like Enumeration Beyond Entry that assign numbers near arrival dates [4] [5]. Reporting that drops the nuance — presenting the tally as proof of illegal benefit claims — conflates separate questions of authorization to be in the country, permission to work, and eligibility for specific federal benefits [3].
2. What federal guidance says about who can get an SSN and why that matters
Social Security policy and guidance emphasize that only noncitizens lawfully admitted or authorized to work in the United States are eligible to apply for and receive SSNs; people without work authorization generally cannot obtain an SSN for employment purposes [4] [5]. Enumeration programs coordinate across DHS and SSA to assign numbers to immigrants at or after entry when appropriate; such administrative practices explain part of the rise in SSN assignments without implying a change in benefit rules. The distinction between an SSN as an identity and tax reporting tool and eligibility for entitlement programs is central: an SSN enables work and is used for tax withholding and reporting, but it does not automatically confer entitlement to Social Security Act benefits, which have their own eligibility criteria linked to immigration status and work credits [4].
3. Political reactions: investigations, memoranda, subpoenas — what they seek to prove
Following the disclosure of high SSN issuance counts, the Department of Homeland Security opened investigations and issued subpoenas to probe whether state practices led to ineligible individuals receiving federal benefits, and the White House issued memoranda directing reviews and audits to prevent unauthorized access to Social Security Act programs [6] [7]. These actions reflect a policy focus on ensuring federal programs do not pay benefits to those ineligible under statute, and they signal political pressure to identify any instances where enrollment systems or coordination lapses may have enabled improper payments. The federal probes are procedural: they seek records, audits, and Inspector General reviews, not to retroactively redefine SSA rules about who may receive SSNs [6] [7].
4. Conflicting narratives: data-driven reporting versus political framing
News outlets and analysts report the 2.1 million issuance number as a data point, while political actors have used it to allege widespread fraud or systemic misuse of benefits by undocumented migrants; those two narratives diverge because of differing emphases and terminologies [1] [8] [3]. Data-focused pieces stress that the figure is an annual count of SSNs assigned to noncitizens, many of whom are lawfully present and authorized to work, whereas political claims often present the same number as evidence of illegal entrants receiving benefits. Both interpretations rely on the same underlying statistic, but only the cautious reading combines that statistic with SSA/DHS rules and program eligibility to avoid misleading conclusions [4] [3].
5. Bottom line and outstanding questions the public should watch for
The verified fact is 2.1 million SSNs to noncitizens in FY2024, a record number that merits scrutiny; the unresolved questions are whether any significant number of these SSN holders were ineligible for benefits and whether state or federal administrative errors led to improper payments, issues currently under investigation [1] [6] [7]. Future findings from DHS subpoenas, SSA Inspector General audits, and interagency reviews will be the most authoritative evidence on improper benefit receipt; until those reports are released, public claims that the SSN tally alone proves large-scale benefit fraud are unsupported by the administrative rules and the reporting context. The public should expect clearer, dated audit findings to settle whether issuance practices correlated with improper benefit payments or instead reflected lawful work authorization and routine enumeration [6] [5].