Senators angry over the recent six-state “identity theft” raids by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently held a closed-door meeting with the agency’s chief, according to AP.
Their concerns appear to center not around the arrest and detainment of the thousand or so workers who were never charged with crimes, but how DHS treated their employer, a large meat-packing company who had participated in a DHS-sponsored worker identity program, the news service reports today.
The identity program, known as “Basic Pilot,” screens for workers using fake Social Security numbers. It does not verify that a valid Social Security number is being used by its rightful owner.
“I can’t think of a system that would be better designed to fail,” Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) told a reporter.
“[W]e need to have a clear understanding with the business community,” said Sen. Norm Coleman (R-MN). “I think it’s very unclear now.”
DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff acknowledged problems with the program, AP says.
