Trump Administration Lists Over 6000 Living Immigrants As Dead To Force Self-Deportation: Report

The Donald Trump administration in the US has moved to classify over 6,000 living immigrants as dead to force them into self-deportation, reported the Associated Press quoting two people familiar with the situation. 

The Social Security numbers of these immigrants have been cancelled impacting their ability to work or receive benefits in an effort to get them to leave the country. 

Those affected by the move will find it much harder to use banks or other basic services where Social Security numbers are required. 

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According to the report, the Trump administration is moving the names of immigrants and legally obtained Social Security numbers to a database that federal officials typically use to track the deceased. The people familiar with the matter told AP about this move on condition of anonymity as the plans have not yet been publicly detailed. 

Stripping the immigrants of their Social Security numbers will cut them off from many financial services, the officials said, adding it will encourage them to "self-deport" and abandon the US for their birth countries. 

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Crackdown On Immigrants From Biden-Era

This move by the Trump administration is part of a broader effort by the US President to crackdown on immigrants who were allowed to enter and temporarily remain in the country under programmes instituted by his predecessor Joe Biden.

It was not immediately clear as to how the 6,000-plus immigrants were selected. However, as per the report, the Trump White House has targeted those immigrants who were allowed to stay in the country under the Biden-era programme, including over 90,000 immigrants who entered the US using that administration's CBP One app. 

On Monday, the legal status of the immigrants who used that app was revoked by the Department of Homeland Security. 

They were generally allowed to stay in the US for two years with work authorisation under presidential parole authority during the Biden era, but are now expected to self-deport. 

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