Social Security Data Shared With DHS to Target Immigrants
▼ Summary
– The Social Security Administration officially disclosed it shares citizenship and immigration data with the Department of Homeland Security, months after the practice began.
– This data sharing was formalized through a system of record notice (SORN), which is legally required under the Privacy Act of 1974 but was issued after the fact.
– The Trump administration has been combining data from multiple federal and state sources for immigration enforcement, bypassing normal legal procedures and privacy norms.
– Misinformation about Social Security data, such as false claims of 150-year-old beneficiaries, was used to justify accessing and integrating agency systems.
– Experts warn that these actions violate privacy laws and represent an unprecedented level of data sharing for surveillance purposes.
In a significant policy shift, the Social Security Administration has formally acknowledged sharing citizenship and immigration data with the Department of Homeland Security for enforcement purposes. This disclosure came through a quietly updated public notice issued months after the data exchanges reportedly began. Known as a System of Record Notice (SORN), this document legally outlines how agencies share information, detailing what data moves between departments and why. Federal law typically requires publishing such notices before initiating data transfers, allowing time for public review and comment.
Investigative reports indicate this interagency data sharing was already operational by April, with the Trump administration consolidating sensitive records across multiple government bodies. The effort, largely coordinated through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), integrates information from Homeland Security, Social Security, the Internal Revenue Service, and state voter databases. Central to this initiative is the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database managed by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Legal experts point to potential violations of the Privacy Act of 1974, which mandates transparency in government database usage. “Laws exist to ensure the public receives proper notification about surveillance technologies and database applications,” explains Adam Schwartz, privacy litigation director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. “When agencies deploy systems without required disclosures, even if they later issue them, they’ve still broken the law.”
This data consolidation forms part of a broader pattern of administrative efforts to repurpose federal information systems. Critics describe the scale of data sharing as unprecedented, arguing that previously separate datasets are being merged in ways that defy established legal frameworks and procedural norms. The administration’s approach frequently bypasses standard protocols governing sensitive information access.
Misinformation about Social Security data has sometimes fueled these initiatives. Early claims about 150-year-old benefit recipients, later debunked, were leveraged to justify increased scrutiny of SSA systems. DOGE utilized narratives of systemic inefficiency and fraud to gain access to the agency’s technological infrastructure.
Further reporting revealed additional controversial practices, including adding immigrants to the Social Security Death Master File. This action effectively invalidates their Social Security numbers, preventing employment authorization and access to government services. In a parallel development, Homeland Security published another SORN that repurposes the SAVE database into a voter verification system, another move experts warn may circumvent Privacy Act requirements.
Leland Dudek, who served as acting commissioner of the Social Security Administration between February and May 2025, witnessed DOGE’s initial integration into the agency. Initially supportive of the collaboration, Dudek facilitated communication between SSA staff and DOGE representatives before growing disillusioned with the initiative’s direction and methods.
(Source: Wired)
