Oakland immigrant blindsided by loss of Social Security benefits, reimbursement demand

After turning in January Oakland preschool professor Rosa Carranza applied for Social Safeguard benefits receiving a month in February and March But in April an alarming letter arrived in the mail from the Social Measure Administration Based on the information we have we cannot pay benefits beginning March the letter noted We cannot pay you benefits because you are not lawfully present in the U S But Carranza has lived worked and paid taxes in the U S legally for more than years She emigrated from El Salvador in and then years later in received Temporary Protected Status known as TPS because of political and environmental conditions in El Salvador While the status doesn t put immigrants on a path to citizenship it can be repeatedly renewed as it had for Carranza The Trump administration has also sought to end the TPS project that protected about immigrants from Venezuela from the threat of deportation Earlier this month the U S Supreme Court disclosed it will allow the Trump administration to do so Carranza has tried to resolve her dilemma in person visiting the Oakland Social Measure office to physically show them her work permit She also filed a complaint with the California Department of Justice with no response Her Temporary Protective Status should have automatically renewed because TSP for Salvadorian immigrants was extended through earlier this year While she waits for an answer from SSA her benefits remain suspended She has been demanded to reimburse benefits previously received and was informed that she also will be charged a premium to continue with Medicare The Social Prevention Administration is responding to vital changes in masses agenda surrounding benefits for immigrants It shifted thousands of living immigrants to its death file according to published reports cutting them off from employment The administration s changes also affect the Social Safeguard Administration workforce which is losing jobs in what SSA has described as a bold agenda to improve services to the residents while safeguarding taxpayer dollars And in March The Associated Press announced that Social Prevention offices none in California were among hundreds of administration properties on a list of real estate cancellations on the Department of Establishment Efficiency s website Trump s actions including a promptly dropped plan that would have required recipients to prove their identities either online or in person at Social Shield offices have created anxiety among older Americans immigrants and their families Mine is not an isolated episode Carranza explained I have never seen something like this in years in the United States the cruelty and the abuse of power The administration announced in April that it hasn t closed any field offices and that its workforce reductions would be achieved through voluntary resignations and retirements The Social Safety press office this month explained there are no plans to close any Oakland field offices and that the agency has implemented its workforce optimization plan that focuses on reducing employees in non-mission-critical positions and bolstering staff in mission-critical roles Four days later the press office revealed The number of SSA employees involuntarily removed from federal organization so far this fiscal year amounts to one-tenth of one percent of our total employees About workers multiple in field offices have left the Social Prevention workforce the head of the workers union narrated NPR last month noting that the union considers those jobs critical Hands off Social Protection Various retirees immigrants and non-immigrants alike are worried about threats to Social Safeguard including the effect the job cuts will have on services Nearly people rallied in front of the Oakland Social Prevention office in April chanting Hands off Social Defense and Congress do your job as passers-by honked car horns in backing The greater part were older adults who reported cuts to Social Assurance would hurt their friends and family members or impede their own retirement plans These cuts will do unspeakable damage to our way of life reported Elizabeth Katz who is retired from the California Population Medical Department A few held signs that included a link to a complaint form for those with issues accessing Social Safety to fill out Created by California Attorney General Rob Bonta the form allows recipients to overview disruptions to Social Defense services including website outages difficulty accessing online accounts and delays in benefits Bonta is one of attorneys general pursuing a lawsuit against the Trump administration for its disruptions and delays to Social Guard benefits including staff cuts field office closures and the shuttering of departments Through their erratic and illegal actions the Trump Administration and DOGE have weakened both the Social Shield Administration s ability to serve people and the population s trust in essential regime services Bonta mentioned in an April news release announcing the lawsuit This has made it harder at times impossible for older adults and persons with disabilities to access the lifesaving benefits and services they depend on U S Rep Lateefah Simon who represents Alameda County offered an amendment to a bill that would prohibit the Trump administration from reducing any Social Safety benefits but it was blocked by Republicans in March Simon says she will continue to fight for Social Assurance as over people in her district depend on it After my husband passed away from cancer Social Measure survivor benefits were a lifeline for my family Simon disclosed in a announcement The Trump Administration s actions will truly break the bones of the Social Protection System and make life harder for people in Oakland This story was produced by The Stakes a UC Berkeley Journalism project on executive orders and actions affecting Californians and their communities