The Voice News: Millions of legal immigrants in the United States are now struggling to work after the Social Security Administration (SSA) quietly paused a key program that automatically issued Social Security Numbers (SSNs) to newly authorized workers. The program—Enumeration Beyond Entry (EBE)—was an agreement between the SSA and the Department of Homeland Security. Under it, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) would transmit data from applicants seeking work permits or citizenship, allowing the SSA to issue SSNs automatically.
Originally launched in 2017 during Donald Trump’s first term, the EBE program was suspended without public notice on March 19, 2025. This unexpected freeze affects millions of immigrants annually, forcing them to visit SSA field offices to apply for SSNs in person—an added burden to both applicants and already under-resourced SSA offices.
The Trump administration followed this pause with an April 15 memo aimed at preventing undocumented immigrants from receiving Social Security benefits—despite there being no substantial evidence that such fraud is widespread. Trump, along with Elon Musk—former head of the so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE)—have been promoting misinformation, falsely claiming these programs are a Democratic ploy to attract unauthorized immigrants.
Experts and immigration lawyers stress that such claims are baseless. Geoffrey Sanzenbacher, an economics professor at Boston College, clarified in a blog post that undocumented immigrants are not eligible for Medicare or Social Security retirement benefits. In fact, they contributed $25.7 billion in taxes to Social Security in 2022, without receiving any benefits in return.
The impact of this policy shift has been deeply personal and disruptive.
Lee Thacker, a legal immigrant from Wales who moved to Minnesota in 2024, lost a job opportunity after failing to receive his SSN on time. Although he received his Employment Authorization Document (EAD) in April and had properly checked the box on the I-765 form to request a SSN, no card arrived. When he finally visited a Social Security office, he learned about the paused program. “I’m legally allowed to work, but no one will hire me without a Social Security number,” he said.
Hope Rudasill of North Carolina shared a similar struggle. Her husband, who recently filed for a work permit, cannot job hunt or even apply for a driver’s license due to not having an SSN. “We haven’t been able to open a joint bank account,” she said, noting how that complicates their pending green card application by lacking proof of shared finances.
Jennifer Bade, a Boston-based immigration lawyer, criticized the decision harshly: “It’s all just meant to attack immigrants. Pausing this program literally has no benefits.” She also emphasized the logistical challenges many immigrants face—from language barriers to long travel distances to access SSA offices—just to get a number that was previously sent automatically.
The SSA justified the move by stating that the EBE program is on a 90-day pause for evaluation, applying to those with work authorization (I-765) and newly naturalized citizens (N-400). However, the program continues for green card applicants (I-485) and cases filed before March 18, 2025.
Democrats in Congress have urged a reversal. The late Rep. Gerald Connolly, then a senior member of the House Oversight Committee, revealed that the SSA’s acting commissioner approved the pause despite legal concerns and warnings about its impact.
Financially, the move makes little sense. A 2024 SSA memo revealed that issuing SSNs through EBE cost $8 per person, compared to $55.80 for each in-person office visit. The agency, already under pressure from staffing cuts of at least 12% and the closure of 47 field offices, is now expected to handle an extra 1.93 million annual visits due to this change.
Many immigrants, like Thacker, were unaware of the change and are still waiting for cards that will never arrive unless they apply again in person. “If I had known,” Thacker said, “I would’ve gone to the SSA office right away. There must be many others waiting and expecting their SSNs without realizing the rules have changed.”
Neither USCIS nor the SSA has issued detailed public guidance or responded to media inquiries, leaving thousands in limbo with their legal ability to work undermined by bureaucratic silence.