Personal Finance

I Was Told I'm Not a U.S. Citizen - My Panic to Prove My Identity

Christy Bieber

Published: April 27, 2025 1:15 pm

A Reddit user is coping with a very concerning situation right now. When he tried to obtain a replacement Social Security card since his card had been lost for a while, a very disturbing message popped up on the Social Security Administration’s website.  The original poster (OP) received an alert that said he was not a U.S. citizen. 

Now, normally, this wouldn’t be a huge issue for someone who knows they are a citizen. However, the poster said that his parents were not born here and did not become citizens until the 1980s. Furthermore, his parents are from a country which the U.S. is not currently friendly with.

Because of the political climate surrounding immigration and the conflict between the OP’s parents’ home country and the United States, the poster is concerned about the message he received. 

Is the OP at risk of not being classified as a citizen?

The good news is, the OP clearly has documentation showing that he is, in fact, a U.S. citizen. The poster was born here, and the U.S. follows birthright citizenship rules that say people born in this country are citizens of it. He also has his birth certificate showing that he was born here, and he has a U.S. passport, which also shows that he is a citizen.

Given that there’s no real question about his valid citizenship status, the poster’s problems with the  Social Security website likely are just a glitch — especially given that the site has been undergoing some changes recently under the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), including new anti-fraud measures being put into place. 

The poster also said he has an earnings record tied to his Social Security number on the Social Security website, which is further evidence that there was just an error. 

How the OP can resolve the issue and prove his identity?

While the Reddit poster should be able to get the glitch corrected, the reality is that he’s still going to have to take some steps to do that.

Several posters suggested visiting the local Social Security office with his documents. Due to recent staffing cuts, it may be harder to get an appointment to do that, but the OP should start working on reaching out to an SSA office near him to get the process started. Other Redditors also suggested making sure he had all of his documents organized and ready before he visits, so he can maximize the chances of the issue being resolved in one appointment. 

If the OP does have trouble for some reason, some other commenters on his post advised talking to their local congressional representative, with one poster indicating his grandfather needed help from a representative to resolve the exact same issue the original poster is facing.

The bottom line is, the Redditor should not panic. He can reach out to the Social Security Administration or his repreasenative for help or, if all else fails, should be abel to get a lawyer to assist him in using his documents to show he is a citizen and entitled not just to his Social Security card, but to all the benefits Social Security has to offer.