Ohio Shouldn’t Aid Illegal Aliens
By The Intelligencer POSTED: September 8, 2008

We hope Ohio hasn't become a service center for illegal immigrants - but news from Harrisonburg, Va., makes us wonder about that.

Federal authorities have broken up a ring specializing in obtaining fraudulent Ohio identification cards for illegal immigrants. Last week one man pleaded guilty to charges in the case. Five others pleaded guilty previously and two are awaiting trial.

Prosecutors handling the case in Harrisonburg said the man who pleaded guilty last week took three illegal immigrants to Columbus last fall, to obtain fraudulent identification cards.

Why make the long trip - about eight hours - from Harrisonburg to Columbus? According to federal authorities, Ohio was selected because some of its Bureau of Motor Vehicles offices are handled by private contractors under franchise agreements with the state.

We hope federal investigators also have looked into Ohio locations at which the ring obtained fraudulent identification documents, or will do so soon. If incompetence is to blame, steps need to be taken by the state to eliminate it. If the illegal immigrants were given identification cards knowingly, there need to be some prosecutions in Columbus, too.

Either way, Ohio state officials should be taking another look at the BMV system. If it is being "gamed" by illegal immigrants, there is no telling what other criminals are using it for nefarious purposes. That needs to end immediately.
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