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CNN: CNN BREAKING NEWS May 26, 2006

False IDs

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KAGAN: Nice story, Rick. That smile on that man's face translates the whole saga. Anderson Cooper has more stories from the border. Watch "A.C. 360" weeknights at 10:00 Eastern.

Fake Social Security numbers. It's a common front. A place where the battle against illegal immigration and the war on terror meet. CNN's Kitty Pilgrim has this story.

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KITTY PILGRIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The illegal immigration debate is not just about guest workers. It's about national security.

In 2002, Social Security inspector general James Huse testified the 9/11 hijackers used five counterfeit Social Security numbers. He said, "It is becoming more and more apparent that those connected with terrorism will at some point obtain Social Security numbers. They may buy them, they may create them, or they may obtain them from the Social Security Administration directly through the use of falsified immigration records."

His suggestion, private business and government agencies should cooperate and cross-check the numbers to stop Social Security fraud.

JAMES HUSE, FMR. INSPECTOR GENERAL, SSA: This is the most common sense way and readily available way to bring back some integrity into the Social Security number, without a lot of new bureaucracy.

PILGRIM: Yet, more than four years after September 11th, government agencies like the IRS have not prosecuted a single business that filed false Social Security numbers.

JOHN PIKE, GLOBALSECURITY: In order to make it much more difficult for terrorists to get false IDs, you're also going to be making it much more difficult for undocumented workers and other people to get false IDs. And that's going to force you to confront the challenge of coming up with a consistent rational policy.

PILGRIM: National security is at risk. For example, the Social Security Administration lists a California security guard company in the top 100 worst offenders of Social Security irregularities. The company filed 4,321 Social Security numbers that did not match names of employees.

A 2004 report to the Congressional Research Service quotes the 9/11 Commission. "According to the commission, up to 15 of the hijackers could have been intercepted or deported through more diligent enforcement of immigration laws."

Kitty Pilgrim, CNN.

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