Top officials inside the Social Security Administration (SSA) tried to obstruct efforts by the Trump administration to cancel Social Security numbers for more than 6,300 illegal aliens, including many released into the U.S. during the Biden presidency. According to leaked details, bureaucrats pushed back against the Trump directive, raising legal objections and attempting to derail enforcement efforts from within the agency.
More than a dozen current and former SSA officials allegedly leaked information to the Washington Post to stir public outrage over Trump’s move to revoke the ability of illegal aliens to legally work and claim taxpayer-funded benefits. The administration’s plan involved transferring the names of certain illegal aliens to the Social Security death database, thereby terminating their access to legal employment and government resources.
One of the loudest opponents was Greg Pearre, a top SSA technology official who reportedly clashed with Scott Coulter, a Trump appointee and newly installed chief information officer. Pearre claimed the plan was illegal and “cruel,” and warned it could mistakenly target the wrong individuals. After repeated objections, Pearre was escorted out of his office by security personnel.
Another SSA official resigned, calling the move an illegal repurposing of the agency for immigration enforcement. Despite the internal pushback, the Trump administration continued with the plan, triggering a review by the SSA’s Office of the General Counsel, which is preparing a report that could argue the policy violates privacy laws.
In addition to this move, the Trump team finalized an agreement between the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), enabling ICE to trace illegal aliens by following financial records. The Department of Government Efficiency also revealed that potentially millions of illegal immigrants are currently listed on Social Security and Medicaid rolls—and thousands more may be on voter registration lists.
These actions reflect the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to crack down on illegal immigration using federal data and enforcement coordination, despite resistance from entrenched government personnel.
