Over 275,000 illegal aliens have been removed from Social Security rolls.

The assertion that hundreds of thousands of unauthorized immigrants were stripped of Social Security benefits has been promoted by administration officials during events celebrating the program, including remarks surrounding its anniversary.pbs.orgpbs.orgWatch Live Trump Marks the 90th Anniversary of the Creation of Social SecurityThe claim that "over 275,000 illegal aliens have been removed from Social Security rolls" originates from statements made by President Donald Trump and administration officials (such as during remarks commemorating Social Security’s 90th... Independent fact-checkers and policy analysts emphasize that under federal law, undocumented immigrants are legally ineligible to receive traditional cash benefits such as retirement, disability, or Supplemental Security Income.factcheck.orgfactcheck.orgImmigrants Government Checks and a Viral MythUnder U.S. law, undocumented immigrants are barred from receiving federal cash benefit programs like traditional Social Security retirement, disability, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

While some non-citizens with authorized legal status and work permits can qualify if they meet strict statutory criteria, unauthorized workers who pay payroll taxes using individual taxpayer identification numbers or mismatched numbers cannot legally draw from the system.ncpssm.orgncpssm.orgTrump Marks 90th Anniversary of Social Security by Spreading MisinformationWhile unauthorized workers often pay payroll taxes into the system using mismatched or ITIN/SSN numbers, they are legally ineligible to collect benefits Policy analysts note that numbers of this scale typically involve individuals who... When pressed for clarification regarding the origin of the 275,000 figure, the Social Security Administration explained that the number represents database updates for individuals who no longer held legal status, ensuring they were blocked from potential future improper access rather than having active benefit checks terminated.washingtonpost.comwashingtonpost.comTrump Social Security 90th AnnniversaryWhen pressed for clarification on the "275,000" figure, the SSA explained that the agency updated the records of roughly 275,000 individuals who no longer held legal status, ensuring that anyone who became ineligible was blocked from...

Framing these administrative record updates as the removal of active beneficiaries creates a false impression that undocumented individuals were previously receiving routine government checks.govexec.comgovexec.comOn Social Security’s 90th birthday, the Trump administration continues to tout...Political Claims: The figure of roughly 275,000 was cited by President Donald Trump and SSA leadership during public addresses (such as Social Security’s 90th-anniversary remarks in August 2025) They asserted that the administration had...