Musk Taps Social Security Data to Target Immigrant Claims

Musk’s Social Security Sleuthing: Hunting for Immigrant “Fraud” That Isn’t Actually There

Oh, look who’s playing detective with Social Security data! None other than Elon Musk and his hilariously named Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Because nothing says “efficiency” like digging through millions of Social Security Administration records to find problems that experts say don’t actually exist.

At a Green Bay rally, Musk proudly stood beside his buddy Antonio Gracias, who’s apparently moonlighting at the Social Security Administration. Together, they unveiled a chart showing—gasp!—5 million non-citizens with Social Security numbers. The horror!

Musk, ever the subtle communicator, called this a “massive financial incentive” for illegal immigration. Sure, and people also cross deserts on foot for the thrilling opportunity to pay into a Social Security system they can’t benefit from. Makes perfect sense.

The Trump-Created Program Musk Conveniently Forgot to Mention

Here’s the punchline Musk and friends somehow missed: the program they’re so worked up about—Enumeration Beyond Entry—was actually created during the Trump administration. Awkward!

“A hundred percent of the people in the EBE program have had their paperwork and status validated by DHS,” explained Kathleen Romig from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. But why let facts get in the way of a good immigration panic?

The White House responded with remarkable restraint, noting they weren’t familiar with DOGE’s specific numbers but mentioned an inspector general’s report about improper Social Security payments. These represented less than 1% of total benefits paid. Such a massive crisis!

DOGE’s Social Security Data Access: Nothing Creepy About That!

Gracias boasted about getting “a lot” of help from agency employees to access immigrant Social Security data. Nothing concerning about a shadowy efficiency squad rifling through personal information!

When challenged about privacy concerns, DOGE argued that anonymizing data would make their Social Security fraud investigation “impractical.” Because apparently, efficiency means having unfettered access to everyone’s personal information. How convenient!

Gracias also claimed they found immigrants with Social Security numbers on voter rolls, which is illegal. Of course, he provided zero evidence or specific numbers about Social Security benefits eligibility. But who needs evidence when you have accusations?

The most delicious irony? Studies consistently show undocumented immigrants actually contribute more to Social Security than they receive. They’re essentially subsidizing the system for citizens. But that doesn’t make for a very exciting rally speech about Social Security immigrant impact, does it?