U.S. authorities have arrested 13 illegal immigrants involved in the fraudulent use of Social Security Numbers (SSNs).
“Eight of the illegal aliens have been indicted for using the stolen Social Security numbers. Those not charged criminally will be held in ICE custody pending removal proceedings and potential deportation,” Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a June 18 statement.
The individuals were working at a window supply business in Paducah, Kentucky.
Between June 2021 and August 2025, the charged individuals allegedly used SSNs of U.S. citizens to complete employment eligibility verification forms and get work in the United States.
Specifically, the eight accused filed false Form I-9s, which the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services uses to verify the identity and work authorization of individuals.
Three of the charged individuals are from Mexico, one from Spain, and four from Guatemala. If convicted, each of them faces up to five years in prison.
The arrests were part of an operation led by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) along with multiple federal partners.
“By uncovering and addressing the fraudulent use, our team has sent a clear message that those who attempt to circumvent federal law will be held accountable,” said HSI Nashville acting special agent in charge Dennis M. Fetting.
On June 5, the Department of the Treasury announced that its Financial Crimes Enforcement Network had asked financial institutions to be vigilant against risks posed by the employment of illegal immigrants, highlighting that such employment can involve the theft of SSNs.
Identity theft and payroll fraud are “key features in schemes by complicit employers in the agriculture, construction, domestic service, hospitality, and other industries to conceal violations of U.S. immigration laws,” the Treasury said.
“Unlawful aliens can illicitly obtain Social Security numbers and other personally identifiable information of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to gain unlawful employment and wages, employer- and government-provided health care benefits in the United States, and access to financial services.”
On Thursday, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced action against 15 individuals, including 11 illegal immigrants, over fraudulently obtaining government benefits.
Ten individuals were charged with identity theft, including a resident from Massachusetts who has been linked to $146,944 in Social Security fraud.
In April 2025, President Donald Trump signed a memorandum seeking to prevent illegal immigrants from obtaining benefits under the Social Security Act.
The White House said in an April 15, 2025, fact sheet that the increase in illegal immigration under the previous administration was “siphoning dollars and essential services from American citizens while state and local budgets grow increasingly strained.”
The White House cited a 2023 study from the Federation for American immigration Reform that estimated that there were almost a million illegal immigrants with stolen identification and fraudulent SSNs.
In one case of SSN theft by an illegal immigrant, a 62-year-old Mexican woman used the SSN of a U.S. citizen to obtain disability and Medicare benefits from the government, according to an April 14 statement by the DOJ.
The accused, who was residing illegally in Houston, began using the stolen SSN in 1992 and unlawfully received a total of more than $278,000 in benefits between 2013 and February 2026.
She also used the stolen identity to submit immigration petitions on behalf of her family members. The accused was arrested in February this year, following which she admitted to her true identity.
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