Right-wing conspiracy theorists are melting down after Elon Musk highlighted the longstanding practice of granting some non-citizens a Social Security number (SSN).
At a get-out-the-vote rally in Wisconsin on Sunday, Musk highlighted a chart showing the increasing numbers of non-citizens being issued SSNs—though he did not mention the work authorization requirements required to obtain one.
“It was a massive, large-scale program to import as many illegals as possible ultimately to change the entire voting map of the United States and disenfranchise the American people and make it a permanent deep blue, one-party state, from which there would be no escape,” Musk alleged.
According to the Social Security Administration, non-citizens generally can receive an SSN if they have proper work authorization in the U.S.
In rarer instances, non-citizens may also apply for a number in order to receive a government benefit, but must include extensive documentation of their eligibility.
But the apparent increase in the issuance of SSNs to non-citizens that Musk is sounding the alarm over is actually attributable, at least in part, to President Donald Trump.
A federal program launched during Trump’s first term, called the Enumeration Beyond Entry, aimed to expedite the process of issuing SSNs to eligible non-citizens. In late March, the Social Security Administration froze the program.
But Musk’s comments—which falsely insinuated that a Social Security number alone is enough documentation to vote—are sending conspiratorial shockwaves through MAGA.
“The question is, did they give them new Social Security numbers, or did they duplicate the Social Security numbers of white citizens who have been paying into the system for decades? Is this part of replacement?” baselessly mused one person on Truth Social.
“They must be held accountable for their crimes! This is fraud plain and simple!!” decried someone else.
“I SAW THIS MYSELF. I went to the SocSec office here in South Florida and it was packed with illegals getting numbers,” commented another user. “Haitians, Brazilians, Chinese, various Hispanics, etc. They were all in new designer clothes, all had lawyers, many spoke no English. It was on purpose. Why is nobody working on this.”
“Can you imagine the outrage that would go on if President Trump and the Republicans gave SS#s to illegal immigrants they would want to lock them up and would stop at nothing to do so,” echoed someone else.
Except the SSNs being issued are explicitly not being offered to undocumented migrants—they are limited to non-citizens lawfully present in the U.S.
But undocumented immigrants who file taxes do pay into Social Security without being eligible for benefits. In 2022, undocumented immigrants paid $25.7 billion in Social Security taxes, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.
Non-citizens—including those lawfully present in the U.S.—are expressly prohibited from voting in federal elections.
“So many people, including the world’s richest man, falsely believe that having a Social Security number allows you to vote. It does not,” concluded one person pushing back on the new conspiracy. “It is entirely unrelated to citizenship. Any person who can work legally in the country gets a Social Security number so they can pay taxes!”
“Conservatives against immigrants paying taxes,” joked someone else.
Dismissed another commenter: “This is no conspiracy. Every noncitizen with work authorization gets an SSN issued to pay taxes.”
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