Washington DC - The Trump administration has added over 6,000 immigrants to a database of dead Social Security recipients, effectively cutting off benefits and their ability to work, media outlets reported Thursday.

Adding the immigrants to the so-called "death file" is "aimed at putting pressure on the undocumented immigrants to leave the country," the Washington Post said, citing a White House official.

The policy aligns with other high-profile anti-immigration measures taken by Donald Trump's White House since his second term began, including sending more than 200 people to a notorious prison in El Salvador.

Social Security Numbers (SSNs) are a key identifier for people in the US, used to report earnings, establish eligibility for welfare benefits, and other purposes.

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Hundreds of thousands of people who are in the country without documentation nevertheless have a US Social Security Number.

Many arrived during the Biden administration, which allowed certain people to enter temporarily.

The White House official told the Washington Post that once people are listed as dead in the Social Security system, they will be shut out by many employers, landlords, and banks as well as federal agencies – essentially ending their ability to earn a living in the country.

Media reported that the move to use the "death file" was spearheaded by staff from Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

The New York Times reported that administration documents said the initial group of 6,300 people was made up of "convicted criminals and 'suspected terrorists.'"

But both papers reported that the measure could soon be applied to many more undocumented migrants.

Weaponizing the Social Security system against undocumented migrants follows steps taken to share taxpayer information from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with immigration authorities announced on Tuesday.

Millions of undocumented migrants have long paid taxes as a way of boosting both their immigration cases and the financial health of massive US federal programs such as Social Security.