I thought the bottom had been hit when the Customs and Border Patrol app known as CBP One was changed into CBP Home, as in "Go Home." The first option was letting the US government know you were going to self-deport. It got worse after that.
They have found a new way to get immigrants to self-deport. Reports in the New York Times and Washington Post say that Kristie Noem has directed the Social Security Administration to add 6,000 immigrants into a database used to track dead people. This instantly strips them of benefits and the ability to work in the US.
It's part of a series of ideas to get rid of immigrants who are undocumented, but have Social Security numbers.
A White House official said that out of the 6000, 1000 are getting Medicaid, 41 are collecting unemployment insurance and 22 are receiving student loans.
Besides government benefits being canceled, the other result sought is to cut off access to credit cards, bank accounts and other financial services.
These tactics are possible because of what seems like Elon Musk's DOGE having unlimited access to government databases that they shouldn't be able to touch or even read. IRS officials left this week because they refused to allow access to records that would allow undocumented immigrants to be located.
The Social Security Administration being put into an immigrantion enforcement role runs a-kilter to their purpose. Making changes to databases is how you make mistakes, turn US citizens into dead immigrants, give incorrect information to law enforcement. Other tactical data changes could be adding people to a terrorist watch list or being flagged that they have criminal records.
According to the Times, the death list has been renamed the "ineligible master file." You would think it would be the other way around.
This won't be the last story of how the Trump administration to find tactics to get people to self deport. It saves them from doing the work themselves.
Trump did a Truth Social post earlier that said any sanctuary city or state would lose all federal funding. I'm going to say that is completely illegal, but that hasn't stopped Trump before. He will withhold funds and then cities and states will have to sue to get the money. That takes time. How do they continue services while trying to get it back?
Richard Nixon became known as "Tricky Dicky" for tactics he used against his enemies. Trump has outdone anyone who has ever been in government, including J. Edgar Hoover.
There are more terrible ideas in dealing with immigrants that will come into being as long as Trump is in power. Stephen Miller is the source, but it is Elon Musk that makes it possible by breaking into government systems.
