In a startling revelation, criminal gangs in New York City are allegedly selling counterfeit green cards and social security cards to undocumented immigrants, according to a report by the New York Post.
The newspaper's reporters witnessed these illicit transactions along Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, with prices ranging from $80 to $250. These fraudulent documents could potentially be used to secure driver's licenses, employment, or even to establish a new identity.
Bruce Foucart, a former special agent in charge of Homeland Security investigations in New England, expressed his concerns to the New York Post. "For someone that wants to do terrorist activity or is a national security threat, its easy to establish this second life within the US, he warned, adding ominously, "I guarantee right now, were just waiting for another 9/11.
This sentiment was echoed by Roy Fenoff, an associate professor at the Department of Criminal Justice at the Citadel, South Carolina. Fenoff highlighted the potential risks associated with these counterfeit cards. Once people have these fake cards, they can work, they can travel, they can access a lot of aspects and services in the United States, he stated.
Fenoff further elaborated on the potential for criminal activity, stating, "There are people getting these cards that are not here just to get a job, that they have other intentions, and this helps them carry out criminal activity." He warned of the potential for identity theft, explaining, "If Im using a social security number thats of another person, and then Im committing crimes, and Im using [their] name, you potentially have warrants out there for innocent peoples arrest, because you dont really know who this person was."
In one incident observed by the Post, five men were seen enticing pedestrians with offers of "social, social" near La Gata Golosa bakery. One man offered a counterfeit social security card to a reporter for $80, stating, "I need your name, your whole name, your age... I can take your picture," while providing an example.
The police identified the sellers as members of the 18th Street gang and the infamous MS-13. Zee Omar, a local store clerk, expressed his concern to the New York Post, stating, "If theyre doing social security number and nobody says st, next time itll be weapons and passports." He added, "Everyone can do what they want now.
New York City's Democrat mayor, Eric Adams, has been openly critical of the Biden administration's handling of the illegal immigration crisis. Earlier this month, he stated, "It's not like New York is not saying we are not a city of immigrants. We are. We have a rich history of immigrants, but we can't take the global problem and [have] it become our problem. That is unfair to New Yorkers, and is unfair to migrants." Adams concluded by stating that the city is "out of room."
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