The Department of Government Efficiency, led by Elon Musk, announced a significant increase in Social Security numbers issued to "non-citizens" in 2024, reaching approximately 2.1 million.
Breitbart reported that at a conference, Musk, alongside Antonio Gracias, disclosed that policies from the previous U.S. administration facilitated a dramatic rise in Social Security numbers for non-citizens.
Musk has recently taken charge of the Department of Government Efficiency. His latest findings, alongside Antonio Gracias, CEO of Valor Equity Partners, have sparked discussions about governmental operations regarding immigration and Social Security.
The revelation occurred during a conference where the pair discussed the processes and statistics related to the issuance of Social Security numbers.
Gracias specifically highlighted the explosion in numbers from 270,000 in 2021 to 2.1 million in 2024.
Antonio Gracias supported his claims with data, showing a steep curve in a chart during the presentation. He emphasized that this rise was significant and attributed it to less stringent policies implemented by the prior administration.
Highlighting the human element in this disclosure, Gracias acknowledged social security system employees who risked their positions to provide this crucial information.
He made it clear that his motivations for revealing these figures were not political but rooted in a belief in the proper management of legal immigration processes.
Gracias, whose family emigrated from Spain, shared a personal connection to the issue, stressing the difference between legal immigration and the complexities of the current situation. This context provided a backdrop to the data, showing how personal and national narratives intersect.
The process for non-citizens to receive Social Security numbers often began with either an asylum claim at a port of entry or by directly approaching border patrol officers, as explained by Gracias.
He detailed two primary methods of entry into the U.S. for asylum seekers: coming through a legal port of entry and claiming asylum, or walking up to border patrol and requesting entry.
These methods reflected the relatively lenient approach of the previous administration towards illegal crossings, treating them not as severe criminal offenses but more like administrative infractions.
Once inside the U.S., these individuals had the opportunity to apply for work documentation. This process, streamlined by preceding policies, allowed them to receive a Social Security number with minimal checks, such as without needing an interview or providing ID.
The bottlenecks in processing these cases were stark. With only 700 judges available for about 5.5 million people, the average waiting time to see a judge extended to six years. This prolonged waiting period underlined challenges in the U.S. immigration system's capacity to handle cases efficiently.
"They have a couple of choices. They can charge you with a misdemeanor or a felony under 1325. Or they can make it an administrative offense. Like a parking ticket. They were told to do that. Make it an administrative offense under the last administration," explained Gracias, detailing the directives given to border security under the previous administration.
This protocol significantly impacted how individuals entering the country could swiftly navigate through the asylum and documentation process, culminating in the receipt of Social Security numbers. "
You file a 765, you get this form called a 766, and then the Social Security Administration automatically sends you in the mail a Social Security number. No interview. No ID," Gracias added.
However, this openness in policy has led to discussions on efficiency and security within the social security system. Both Musk and Gracias alluded to potential reforms that could ensure a more robust and fair process for all applicants while balancing the needs of the nation's security and efficiency.
The data presented by Elon Musk and Antonio Gracias suggest that changes in administrative practices and immigration policies from previous years have yielded considerable impacts on the social security system.
This claims to aim at refining these processes to better serve the nation's interests while ensuring fair and legal pathways for immigrants seeking new opportunities in the U.S.
"We started at the top of the system. Mapping the whole system of social security to understand where all the fraud was. There are a lot of great people there who showed us a lot of waste, so that came with a big list of stuff. But this is what jumped out at us," concluded Gracias, hinting at broader systemic reviews and potential reforms going forward.