Post wrongly asserts migrants in US illegally can get Social Security cards | Fact check

Isabel C. Morales, USA TODAY
·3 min read
1

The claim: 'Illegal immigrants' in Chicago received Social Security cards

[En Espa?ol: Falso: inmigrantes que están ilegalmente en EEUU tienen tarjetas de Seguro Social]

A July 11 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims people entering the U.S. illegally are quickly gaining access to key government documentation.

“SETTING THE GROUND FOR FRAUD?” reads the text in the post in Spanish. “In Chicago, newly arrived illegal immigrants are receiving Social Security cards from the government.”

The post shares an English post on Facebook, which was shared more than 2,000 times.

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Our rating: False

Individuals who are in the country illegally and lack any immigration status permitting them to work are unable to secure a Social Security card, according to an expert. Generally, only noncitizens who are authorized to work in the country by the Department of Homeland Security are eligible to obtain a Social Security card.

Generally, Individuals without work authorization cannot obtain Social Security cards

A person who came to the U.S. legally can apply for a Social Security card if they are applying for resident status or if their visa status allows them to work, according to the Social Security website.

The website does not say people who are illegally in the country can get Social Security cards, as the post claims.

Migrants going through the asylum process, crime victims or individuals with other pending cases can apply for a work permit. If granted, they are allowed to receive a Social Security card, according to Jaime Barron, an immigration lawyer in Texas.

“Someone completely undocumented, not pending any immigration process, has no right to a Social Security card or any other immigration benefit,” Barron told USA TODAY.

Fact check: Struck-down New York law allowing non-citizens to vote misrepresented online 

The post includes a video from CBS Chicago that says just over 1% of migrant asylum seekers who have arrived in Chicago since August 2022 have received work permits and Social Security cards. The news report mentions migrants seeking asylum, a form of legal protection, according to the Council on Foreign Relations. The report does not say migrants who are illegally in the country are receiving Social Security cards.

The post also asserts the 2024 presidential election "will be the most rigged election in history," but the question of Social Security cards has nothing to do with eligibility to vote. Noncitizens aren't allowed to vote in federal elections, and they are only allowed to vote in local elections in a small number of places.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: False claim 'illegal immigrants' got Social Security card | Fact check

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