DHS To Use Social Security to Put Workers at Risk

The Dept of Homeland Security (DHS) issued a final administrative rule to notify employers that failure to take action upon receipt of the Social Security Administration's “no-match” letters will serve as constructive notice that an employer had knowingly hired an employee who was an undocumented immigrant.  The Social Security Administration issues these “no-match” letters to identify possible record-keeping errors and other problems associated with matching wages to Social Security numbers. The following is a statement from Eva A. Millona, Executive Director of the MIRA Coalition:

“At a time when unemployment is rising sharply across the country, when businesses and working families are nervous and frightened about their economic survival, the Department of Homeland Security, in its misguided zeal to punish immigrant working families, is using the Social Security Administration to put millions of workers at risk of getting fired erroneously.”

“The Social Security Administration (SSA) has always been clear. The purpose of the letters had always been to obtain corrected information to help SSA identify the individual to whom the earnings belong so that the earnings can be posted to the individual's earnings record. There are a number of reasons why reported information may not agree with SSA's records, such as typographical errors, unreported name changes, name changes stemming from marriages or divorces, inaccurate or incomplete employer records or the misuse of a Social Security number.”

“The Social Security Administration's own Office of Inspector General estimates that there are 17.8 million records in their database that could result in a no-match letter.  Of those records, 13 million (70%) belong to American citizens.”

“Pressuring or scaring businesses to fire millions of workers, many of them American citizens, will shove many working families into poverty, and may force some companies to scale down, close down, or move abroad. Does the Department of Homeland Security really think that this will make Americans more secure?”

“The Department of Homeland Security should not be experimenting with the tools Social Security needs to do its job. DHS should not be recklessly jeopardizing people's livelihood. The only way for the Department of Homeland Security to move forward is for Congress and the new Administration to do the people's business and fix the outdated and broken-down immigration system so that fair and just laws can be effectively, efficiently, and properly enforced.”

-From “ CORRECTION: PRESS STATEMENT. SUBJECT: DHS to use Social Security to put American Workers at Risk”, The MIRA Coalition, October 24, 2008.

10/08