CONGRESS Social Security cards proposed as a deterrent to identity theft
The cards could feature the holder's photo and a magnetic strip.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
WASHINGTON -- Congress is moving to replace the paper Social Security cards issued to 280 million Americans with plastic, harder-to-counterfeit versions to try to curtail identity theft and the use of Social Security cards and numbers by some undocumented immigrants to obtain jobs.
Privacy and immigration advocates as well as business groups have concerns about the proposed cards. Critics fear the cards could become de facto national IDs and eventually play the role that identity papers have played over history in repressive societies. There is also worry that the proposal could mean trouble for immigrant workers and even criminal fines for employers.
If the Illegal Immigration Enforcement and Social Security Protection Act of 2005 became law, every person seeking a job in the U.S., citizen or undocumented immigrant alike, would have to present the card to his or her prospective employer. Job applicants would have to provide more than a Social Security number -- they would need to physically present the card.
The bill has the support of at least two powerful House committee chairmen, and Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., House majority whip, the House's third highest leadership post, is one of 36 co-sponsors, including several Texas and California Democrats.
But Ron Bonjean, spokesman for Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., said recently he had no immediate comment on the bill "pending review of the legislation."
New card design
The front of the card as envisioned by its proponents would have the holder's photo and Social Security number.
A machine-readable magnetic stripe on the card's back, like those found on credit cards, would contain a digitized photo as well and the person's employment eligibility. The card could be swiped through a reader by an employer with its information compared to an employment eligibility database to be maintained by the Homeland Security Department.
The legislation also tries to address the economic demand for undocumented immigrants. Under the bill, for the first time employers who hire such individuals could face federal criminal charges punishable by up to five years in prison for employing even one illegal immigrant while imposing a fine of up to $50,000 for every illegal immigrant hired.