by Kandiss Edwards
February 21, 2026
Ramona Rakestra is combating for the return of her Supplemental Safety Revenue after the federal government claimed she shouldn’t be a natural-born citizen.
A Dallas lady, Ramona Rakestraw, is combating for the return of her Supplemental Safety Revenue (SSI) after the federal government claimed she shouldn’t be a natural-born citizen.
Rakestraw, who’s battling most cancers and kidney illness, says the federal authorities wrongly stopped her SSI after questioning her U.S. citizenship. Rakestraw is a lifelong Texan who mentioned she relied on SSI funds as her main supply of earnings whereas present process remedy for kidney illness and most cancers.
Rakestraw’s advantages had been abruptly halted in October 2025 after the Social Safety Administration knowledgeable her that her immigration standing was beneath evaluation, she informed Fox 4. Nonetheless, the Dallas resident says she was born at Parkland Hospital in Dallas and has by no means lived outdoors the US. Moreover, the 59-year-old asserts she has by no means even left Dallas County.
“I’m not an immigrant,” she mentioned. “I’ve by no means even left Dallas County — not to mention the nation.”
In a letter to Rakestraw, the SSI administration wrote, “We can not pay you advantages as a result of you aren’t lawfully current within the U.S.” Rakestraw supplied her beginning certificates and authorities identification to SSA representatives at a neighborhood workplace as a part of her effort to resolve the difficulty.
In her early 20s, Rakestraw battled kidney illness, which led to her receiving a transplant. She has been depending on advantages since. Earlier than her citizenship was in query, she acquired each Social Safety and Medicaid Half B advantages. Whereas her Medicare Half B was later restored, the SSI funds remained stopped.
After Rakestraw spoke to Fox 4, the outlet reached out to the SSI administration. As a result of privateness considerations, no data was given about her particular grievance, although workers mentioned they’d attain out to her relating to the matter. Subsequently, it was reported that Rakestraw’s advantages would resume, although there isn’t a phrase on why they had been denied within the first place.
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