Posted on 04/05/2006 6:35:47 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
WASHINGTON - The government said Wednesday it was stepping up efforts to stem illegal immigration, creating task forces in 10 cities to crack down on those who commit fraud to enter and stay in the country.
The task forces bring together investigators from several agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Justice and Labor departments, to prosecute growing cases of immigration fraud. The fraud includes the use of fake Social Security cards, drivers licenses and passports.
Investigators also will seek to arrest — and deport if warranted — those who lie on government applications to obtain benefits such as U.S. citizenship, political asylum or a visa, said Julie Myers, assistant secretary for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is headed by Homeland Security.
"One of the lessons from 9/11 is that false identities and fraudulent documents present serious risks to national security," said Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff. "We must deny criminals the identification tools they need to threaten our country."
In the last two years, the number of immigration fraud investigations has jumped 54 percent to 3,591 cases and arrests have risen from 1,300 to 1,391, officials said. They cited the growing sophistication of technology such as high-resolution digital scanners, which make it easier to produce fraudulent documents, for the increased number of cases.
At least seven of the Sept. 11, 2001, hijackers submitted fraudulent Virginia residency certificates to obtain legitimate ID cards to clear airport security and board airplanes for the terrorist attacks. Most recently, ICE agents seized seven counterfeit document labs and arrested 11 individuals on charges of supplying fake ID and immigration documents that were sold on the streets of Los Angeles.
The Document and Benefit Fraud Task Forces will be located in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, Newark, N.J., Philadelphia and St. Paul, Minn. It is modeled after a Washington, D.C.-area task force coordinated by the U.S. attorney's office.
___
On the Net:
Immigration and Customs Enforcement: http://www.ice.gov/graphics/index.htm
Justice Department: http://www.usdoj.gov/
Thanks for posting.
No kidding. Come December, it'll be back to the same ol' SOP.
Not only that. Put the tasks forces on the border. They can't do anything in the cities.
I notice neither Phoenix or Tucson are on the list. Both have big illegals nests that need cleaned out.
Dog and Pony show.
Don't know 'bout you, but I feel like I can rest much better tonight.
Yeah, I can see why you'd sleep so much better knowing that an increase in the arrests of 91 illegals, out of HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of illegals who've illegally entered the U.S. just this past year---has occurred over the past TWO YEARS.
Way to go.....woo hoo....91 more. Yipee-i-ay. Rah. Rah.
Guess we can throw out our sleeping aids now.
But most -- between 50 and 80 percent depending on whom you talk to -- represent illegal immigrants using a stolen or manufactured Social Security number at the workplace.
....Millet thinks there's another motivation for agencies to not deal with the problem. Everyone except the consumer is profiting from the situation, she said. Notifying every consumer whose number is being misused by someone else would be disruptive to the American workforce, and would force government agencies to face the sticky undocumented worker problem.
"If there was no issue, the government would issue work visas to all of them," she said. "But if we gave them all their own Social Security numbers, they'd be able to compete for real wages. That's why no one is dealing with this."
-Bob Sullivan
The secret list of ID theft victims: Consumers could be warned, but U.S government isn't talking
They can have my matricula consular card when they pry it from my cold dead hand.
Or I could just buy another one.
Oh goody after 20 years the government is here to help! Lets see 2 million fraudulent amnesties in 1986 and now they are looking for fraud...Right on time...
All naught but more "G" "W" whitewash to appease the restless natives. It will be disbanded soon as the NON-amnsty bill passes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.