Thread: Immigrant backers rally at Social Security office

Immigrant backers rally at Social Security office
By PATRICK McGEE
Star-Telegram staff writer

Special to the Star-Telegram/Brian Lawdermilk

State Rep. Roberto Alonzo was among about a half-dozen demonstrators at the protest Friday. DALLAS -- A small band of pro-immigrant groups rallied outside the Social Security Administration's Dallas office Friday and called on the agency to keep its data out of immigration enforcement efforts.

About half a dozen demonstrators, including state Rep. Roberto Alonzo, D-Dallas, delivered letters asking the administration not to allow its "no match" letters to become part of immigration enforcement.

The administration mails the letters to workers and employers when the employees' names do not match the Social Security numbers they filed with their employers. Under current law, the administration's no-match database is not available to immigration officials.

And it should stay that way, said Gene Lantz, a member of Jobs with Justice, a national workers rights group, who attended Friday's demonstration.

"I'm asking Social Security to stay in the Social Security business as it was originally intended," Lantz said.

Immigration officials have tried unsuccessfully to get access to the administration's no-match database to help them identify companies that employ illegal immigrants. But they have been blocked by laws that say the letters are confidential.

Last year, John Chakwin, special agent in charge of the Dallas office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, testified at a congressional committee hearing in Plano that ICE could do a better job of enforcement if it had access to the data.

No access

Congress has not granted that access. But widespread perceptions that ICE has access to the data formed this year when the Homeland Security Department announced a crackdown in August on companies that hire illegal immigrants.

The increased workplace enforcement has not happened yet.

On Wednesday, a federal judge in San Francisco issued an injunction that prevents it, at least temporarily. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer said the crackdown would cause too much hardship for law-abiding businesses and employees.

"We want the restraining order to be permanent," Lantz said.

Social Security spokesman Mark Lassiter said his agency has been sending the no-match letters to workers since 1970 and to employers since 1994.

He said that about 140,000 no-match letters will probably not be sent this year because of Breyer's ruling

http://www.star-telegram.com/dallas_new ... 66707.html

About half a dozen demonstrators, including state Rep. Roberto Alonzo, D-Dallas, delivered letters asking the administration not to allow its "no match" letters to become part of immigration enforcement.

We must make sure that Hispanic members elected into office, represent American citizens, not Hispanic illegal aliens. If they refuse to obey America's laws, they should NEVER be allowed to hold office in the first place! Get then all OUT!

When are they going to start rounding up people at protests like this one, especially like this one, and checking residency status?

I mean really, as much as I have a distaste for excess government involvement in my life I see no reason for someone with no relevant "skeletons in their closet" to oppose making sure that your information is correct. It makes sure that you get "credit" for your work, that the money out of your check applies to your SS retirement benefits (and/or, goodness forbid, disability). It helps to make sure that someone else is NOT setting themselves up to steal your credit/benefits (ruin your credit, cast legal suspicion on you, etc...).

There is only one reason I can see to oppose this valuable verification that employees are who they say they are, and that is that, as an employee, you are breaking the law (or willing to) by providing false information or, that as an employer, you are breaking the law (or willing to) by allowing/supporting the submission of false information.

Sounds like a pretty sound argument for reasonable suspicion to me. Ya know? Round 'em up and double check them to be sure, it's not like it's rocket science.


On the other hand... Half a dozen people? What a joke.