Expert: CBP is NOT Handing Out Social Security Numbers to Border Crossers

Josh Kelety, Associated Press, Aug. 3, 2022

"Lara Logan, a former Fox Nation host, recently claimed that U.S. Border Patrol agents are distributing Social Security numbers to immigrants at the border. A video of her comments has circulated widely across social media platforms. In the clip, which was recorded during a Saturday event promoting election conspiracies in Tempe, Arizona, Logan tells the audience, “Now, when people come across the border illegally — and I have this confirmed from Border Patrol agents who are actually physically doing this — they get given a Social Security number. They get assigned a Social Security number when they cross.” The video clip spread on conservative blogs and websites. Social media users also repeated the claim. One Twitter user wrote on Sunday, “BREAKING REPORT: Investigative Journalist Lara Logan Drops Bomb, says Officials are Giving Social Security Numbers to Illegal Aliens at the US Border.” No such thing is happening, Rhonda Lawson, a spokesperson for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, told the AP in an email. “U.S. Border Patrol does not possess the capability or authority to issue Social Security numbers, and therefore does not issue Social Security numbers to non-citizens who crossed the border,” she wrote. Stephen Yale-Loehr, a professor at Cornell University who teaches immigration law, agreed that Border Patrol agents would not hand out Social Security numbers. “Even if they were to do it, it would be illegal for them to do it and they could be prosecuted for doing it. I believe it’s a false statement.” "