WASHINGTON: The Tru­­mp administration aims to convince some imm­igrants without legal status to self-deport by adding them to a database of dead people, thus rendering their Social Security numbers inoperable, an administration official said.

Immigrants who were legally admitted to the US under the Biden administration but have since had their temporary status revoked, would be added to the Social Security Admi­nistration’s “death master list”, which is normally used to identify dead pe­ople who should no longer receive Social Security benefits.

Social Security numbers function as tax identification numbers in the US and are required to receive government benefits. They are also used for many private financial operations such as opening a bank account or obtaining a credit card.

The scheme was first reported by the New York Times, citing documents it reviewed and six people familiar with the plans. The goal is to pressure migrants to self-deport by effectively cancelling their Social Security numbers and cutting them off from financial services, the Times reported.

“President Trump promised mass deportations and by removing the monetary incentive for illegal aliens to come and stay, we will encourage them to self-deport,” Assistant Press Secretary Liz Huston said.

The Times reported that the names of more than 6,300 convicted criminals or “suspected terrorists” have been added to the government blacklist.

The use of the “death master list” is the latest example of President Donald Trump seeking to expand the use of sensitive personal data to further his goal of reducing the number of immigrants living in the US.

Published in Dawn, April 12th, 2025