Supreme Court Decision On Birthright Citizenship Could Cause Social Security Number 'Chaos'

Trump's order would require Social Security to change its automatic system for issuing Social Security numbers to newborns.

WASHINGTON – The federal government could have to change how it issues Social Security numbers now that the Supreme Court has said President Donald Trump’s order ending birthright citizenship can take effect outside of specific cases where it’s been blocked by a lower court.

For decades, whenever a baby is born in the U.S., hospitals have notified state vital records agencies, which have in turn notified the Social Security Administration, that a new person needs a Social Security number. The so-called “enumeration at birth” policy is automatic for the government and simple for parents, who merely check a box on a hospital form.

Trump’s order, if it takes effect in 30 days, could make the process more complicated, though neither the Social Security Administration nor the White House responded to requests for comment Friday about how it could change.

Nancy Altman, president of Social Security Works, a liberal advocacy group that opposes benefit cuts, said the Supreme Court decision, allowing at least partial implementation of Trump’s birthright directive, could create “widespread chaos” and require more Americans to visit Social Security field offices in order to get Social Security numbers for their babies.

The order forbids federal agencies to accept or issue documents recognizing citizenship to babies whose mothers are not lawfully present in the United States. The text describes exactly the sort of sending and receiving of documents that occurs through the enumeration at birth process.