From: allin
The Social Security system, established in 1936, was originally designed to track citizens’ earnings. However, starting in the 1990s, Social Security numbers (SSNs) began to be issued to non-citizens who were authorized to work in the U.S. to facilitate tax collection [00:06:24]. Non-citizens with green cards or valid visas are required to have an SSN to work, and they contribute to Social Security and Medicare, potentially qualifying for benefits over time [00:06:31].
Enumeration Beyond Entry (EBE) Program
A significant increase in SSNs issued to non-citizens has been observed through the “Enumeration Beyond Entry” (EBE) program, which became active in 2017 [00:09:01]. This program, intended for individuals like Afghan translators admitted after the war, saw a baseline of 300,000 to 400,000 annual issuances [00:07:52]. However, it experienced a dramatic ramp-up, peaking at 2.1 million people in 2024 [00:05:48].
The surge is primarily attributed to changes in asylum programs and the use of Notices to Appear (NTAs) [00:09:23].
Process for Obtaining SSNs Through Asylum Claims
The process for individuals entering the U.S. and obtaining SSNs without extensive verification includes:
- Notice to Appear (NTA): Individuals arriving at the border or airports can be issued an NTA, which provides a quasi-legal status while awaiting a court date, often scheduled six years out [00:11:33].
- Asylum Application: While awaiting their court date, individuals can fill out an asylum application without an interview [00:11:53].
- Work Authorization: Upon filing the asylum application, they can submit Form 765 to get a work authorization (Form 766) [00:12:01].
- Automatic SSN Issuance: An SSN card is automatically sent via mail once the work authorization is granted, without any interview [00:12:09].
This streamlined process, described as “enumeration beyond entry,” represents the majority of the recent growth in SSN issuances [00:11:59].
Concerns and Findings
Antonio Gracias, a former Democrat who is working on the Trump administration’s “doge” initiative (focused on fraud, waste, and abuse in government), led an investigation into this phenomenon [00:03:00]. His team’s findings include:
- Fraud and Abuse: The program, while having legitimate uses, has been “abused” due to “super opened” requirements for asylum claims [00:10:05]. An asylum form, previously four pages requiring proof of credible fear, was reduced to four leading questions [00:10:17].
- Lack of Verification: There is no real ID verification in the process [00:12:33]. Many individuals did not show IDs, and suspicious patterns, such as January 1st being the most common birth date (four times more likely than any other day), suggest data entry issues or lack of legitimate information [00:12:53]. Additionally, 23% of records lacked fingerprints [00:13:16].
- Strain on Border Personnel: Border Patrol and Border Protection agents reported the highest suicide rates during the surge, indicating the overwhelming nature of the situation [00:13:31].
- Access to Benefits: The majority of these new SSN holders are accessing various benefit programs [00:14:11]. For example, 1.3 million are on Medicaid, and others are on unemployment [00:14:18].
- Voter Registration and Voting: Thousands of these non-citizens registered to vote in a handful of “friendly states,” and many of them actually voted, which is a federal crime [00:14:31].
- Criminals and Terror Watchlists: The data lists shared with the National Targeting Center revealed “hardheads” including criminals and individuals on terror watch lists within this group [00:17:24].
- Human Trafficking: The current system, by incentivizing illegal entry through the promise of SSNs and work authorizations, has created a “money magnet” that funnels 15 billion annually to human traffickers [00:26:37]. This has led to human suffering, with people dying on the way to the U.S. or being sold into debt servitude to cartels [00:26:50]. This is presented as a human rights tragedy, not a political issue [00:27:05].
- Political Motivation: Critics suggest that opening the border serves to grow the Democratic voter base [00:29:02]. Antonio Gracias, a former Democrat himself, acknowledges that policies were created by former administrators to set defaults to “max open” for SSN issuance and benefit payments, while collection defaults were set to zero [00:29:16]. He believes the average person, including Democrats, would be shocked by these findings [00:30:15].
Debunking Criticisms of Data
When the data was released, some individuals, including Jim Chanos, attempted to nitpick it, arguing it was “apples to oranges” [00:18:14]. This was debunked by clarifying that critics compared all enumerations (including those who applied for SSNs via consulates or through traditional legal channels) to the EBE program’s specific data, which tracks issuances “beyond entry” [00:18:45]. The first person to post the misleading chart on X (formerly Twitter) later deleted it and apologized [00:20:08].
Proposed Actions and Broader Immigration and its implications Discussion
Antonio Gracias’s immediate mandate is to identify criminals, terrorists, and those “mooching off the system” [00:26:08]. Some cases have already been referred for prosecution [00:15:50]. The Trump administration is expected to target criminal illegal aliens for removal, then those falsely claiming asylum and receiving benefits [00:22:47].
The broader discussion on US immigration policy and labor market dynamics suggests a consensus that illegal immigration at the southern border should be stopped [00:22:02]. Data-driven approaches are seen as crucial to discerning who is a “net draw on the resources of the American people” versus a “net taxpayer” or contributor [00:22:26]. The focus is on whether individuals benefit the U.S. or not [00:23:09].
A major concern is the issue of non-citizens voting, which is a federal crime [00:15:08]. The number of such cases discovered far exceeds historical documented instances of non-citizen voting [00:15:18]. Transparency through publishing lists of illegal voters and implementing voter ID laws (which 15 states currently lack) is advocated [00:32:53].
The long-term impact of immigration policies on political demographics is also discussed, citing California’s shift to a solidly blue state after a 1986 amnesty program [00:36:40]. The idea that a massive influx of people who are more dependent on government services could permanently shift the electorate is a concern [00:35:22].