Thirty sought in illegal driver's license scheme

Fraud comes in two fundamental categories–fraudulent schemes and fraudulent documents.

Fraudulent schemes are generally criminal conspiracies in which two or more individuals enter into a business arrangement (such as a sham marriage), to provide an alien with benefits he (she) would not otherwise be entitled to.

Fraudulent documents also come in several varieties.  It may involve the production and sale of counterfeit or altered identity documents such as driver's licenses or alien registration cards (green cards), or supporting documents such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, or school transcripts. (School transcripts will likely be in great demand by aliens who will falsely claim to have attended school in the United States to participate in the program announced by the President that will largely involve aliens who would have benefited from the DREAM Act, had Congress passed that legislation.)

ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) issued a news release on June 21, 2012 that heralded the indictment of 30 illegal aliens who are accused of procuring driver's licenses in New Mexico (where applicants for driver's licenses do not need to prove that they are legally present in the United States), then arranging for them to be sent to South Carolina where, other illegal aliens would be waiting to purchase these licenses.

According to the news release, “…each carry a maximum sentence of 15 years imprisonment. Conspiracy to transport illegal aliens, as well as transporting illegal aliens, both carry a maximum sentence of 10 years imprisonment.”

It is important to understand that this sort of fraud is commonplace, and that fraud rings have become very sophisticated in identifying holes in the system to exploit.  It is especially disconcerting that more than a decade after the attacks of September 11, 2001 that certain states, such as New Mexico, are willing to compromise the security of the United States by allowing illegal aliens to acquire driver's licenses. It appears to be an obvious effort to please the various groups and individuals who oppose the enforcement of our nation's immigration laws; laws that have two primary, simple goals:  1) Protect American lives, and 2) protect American jobs.

The ICE news release stated that none of the criminal aliens who were indicted are in custody but are being sought for the crimes that they allegedly committed.  It is entirely possible that many of them have fled the United States and are back in their home country or countries.  Therefore it is absolutely possible that most of these alleged criminals may never be apprehended and prosecuted for their crimes.

It is also important to note that terrorists have used driver's licenses procured under assumed identities to enable them to hide in plain sight or, in the jargon of the 9/11 Commission, embed themselves in communities around the country as they go about their preparation to launch a terrorist attack.

I bid “Happy Hunting” to the agents who are seeking the 30 defendants in this case. But I wish that they were also seeking to hunt the many customers who did illegal business with those 30 defendants.  Under the policies and priorities of the current administration, if any efforts are expended to find those customers who are, actually unindicted co-conspirators, it will be to provide them with employment authorization!