The Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security has quietly implemented a new data-sharing policy that flags immigrants whose Social Security numbers match those of deceased Americans. Officials revealed yesterday that over 4,300 individuals have been identified through this cross-referencing system since January.
I’ve spent the past week investigating this policy after receiving tips from congressional staffers concerned about its implementation. The program, dubbed “Identity Verification Protocol” (IVP), compares immigration records against the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File, which contains information on millions of deceased Americans.
“We’re simply using available data to enforce existing laws,” said Thomas Homan, acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, when I questioned him after yesterday’s closed-door Homeland Security briefing. “Identity fraud represents a serious national security concern.”
My sources within DHS confirmed that the program has already led to 780 detention proceedings. What troubled me most during my investigation was discovering that no public announcement preceded the program’s rollout. I first learned about it through congressional oversight committee documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request filed in February.
Immigration advocates have raised immediate concerns about the system’s accuracy. “This type of data matching is notoriously prone to false positives,” explained Maria Cardona, senior immigration attorney at the National Immigration Law Center. “We’ve already documented dozens of cases where legal residents with valid Social Security numbers were erroneously flagged.”
The administration defends the program as a logical extension of existing fraud detection systems. Internal DHS documents I reviewed show the program costs approximately $16.4 million annually to operate. Officials project it will identify approximately 11,000 cases of potential identity fraud by year’s end.
Democratic lawmakers have voiced strong opposition. “This is yet another stealth attack on immigrant communities,” Representative Pramila Jayapal told me during an interview in her Capitol Hill office. “They’re implementing life-altering policies without transparency or congressional oversight.”
I’ve spent years covering immigration policy, and this approach feels different. Previous administrations typically announced major enforcement changes publicly with implementation guidelines. The Trump administration appears to be pursuing a strategy of quiet procedural changes that cumulatively transform enforcement without requiring legislative action.
The mechanics of the system aren’t particularly complex. When an immigrant’s information is processed—whether during visa applications, work authorization renewals, or routine immigration checks—their Social Security number is automatically compared against the Death Master File. Matches trigger an administrative flag that can lead to investigation or detention.
I spoke with Carmen Velasquez, a legal permanent resident from Ecuador who was caught in the system last month. “I was held for 26 hours before they determined it was a mistake,” she told me, voice still shaking. “I’ve had the same Social Security number for 17 years. How could they think I stole it?”
Technical experts point to numerous potential flaws. “The Death Master File contains millions of records with transcription errors,” explained Dr. Margaret Reynolds, data scientist at Georgetown University’s Center for Privacy and Technology. “Names get misspelled, digits in Social Security numbers get transposed. It’s inherently imperfect data.”
My analysis of available statistics suggests the error rate could be significant. Of the first 2,100 cases processed through the system, internal DHS data shows 14% were eventually determined to be false matches after detention or investigation had already begun.
The White House has remained largely silent on the program. When pressed for comment, Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany provided a brief statement: “The President supports all efforts to protect American identities and ensure the integrity of our immigration system.”
Legal challenges appear inevitable. The ACLU has announced plans to file suit next week, claiming the program violates due process protections. “The government is essentially treating correlation as causation,” said Omar Ja
