Social Security Official Escorted Out After Refusing to Flag Migrants as 'Dead'
A senior manager at the Social Security Administration (SSA) was reportedly removed from his post after declining to comply with a controversial new directive targeting migrants.
Greg Pearre, who oversaw a team of tech specialists at SSA headquarters in Woodlawn, Maryland, allegedly refused to input certain migrants' names into the agency’s “death master file.” This database is traditionally used to track deceased Social Security recipients and prevent misuse of their benefits.
According to reporting from The Washington Post, Pearre’s refusal led to security personnel escorting him from the building on Thursday.
The measure is part of a broader Trump administration strategy to block access to Social Security numbers for individuals who entered the U.S. through immigration programs now defunct. “This is an unprecedented step,” said Devin O’Connor of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. He warned that the move could have “enormous risks and consequences,” adding that the administration appears to be “declaring people equivalent to dead who have not died.”
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt defended the initiative, emphasizing that the administration is focused on ensuring “illegal immigrants will no longer receive such economic entitlements.” She added, “The Trump Administration is protecting lawful American citizens and their hard-earned Social Security benefits.”
Leavitt also made it clear that dissent within the administration would not be tolerated. “Anyone who disagrees with the common sense policies of this Administration can find a new job,” she said.
The policy specifically targets around 1.4 million migrants who participated in two Biden-era immigration programs that have since been dismantled. These include the CNVH initiative—which facilitated entry for 500,000 individuals from Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Haiti—and the CBP One app, used by another 900,000 to obtain temporary work permits.
The Post and The New York Times both reported that the names of over 6,000 individuals from these programs had already been placed in the death master file. An additional 102 names were reportedly added on Thursday.
In an internal email obtained by the Times, Acting SSA Commissioner Leland Dudek told staff that the “financial lives” of these individuals would be “terminated.”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also weighed in, stating in a memo that this step would help “prevent suspected terrorists who are here illegally” from accessing “privileges reserved for those with lawful status.”
A White House official told the Post that some of the targeted migrants are currently receiving benefits: approximately 1,000 are on Medicaid, 41 are receiving unemployment, and 22 have student loans. “They have no right to be in the country,” the official stated.
Elizabeth Huston, another White House spokesperson, underlined that this policy is part of Donald Trump’s broader immigration crackdown. “President Trump promised mass deportations,” she said, “and by removing the monetary incentive for illegal aliens to come and stay, we will encourage them to self-deport. He is delivering on his promise he made to the American people.”