In re: Philip Wasserman, “Sending the Wrong Message,” letters, April 18.
Mr. Wasserman, I would respectfully suggest that it is you, not me, who is sending the wrong message to people who entered our wonderful country “illegally” and to those contemplating doing so. You also didn’t at all answer my obvious questions concerning this gentleman and his two Marine sons. Were they born here or were they brought here as children?
How does one live and work for any amount of time let alone 30 years without lying and/or giving someone else’s information to your employer[s]?
Federal laws such as the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act outline specific penalties for Social Security number misuse. This act targets individuals who knowingly use, transfer, or possess another person’s SSN with the intent to commit an illegal act. Offenders can face fines of up to $250,000 and imprisonment for up to 15 years. Besides the Identity Theft and Assumption Deterrence Act, other federal statutes like the Social Security Act and the Privacy Act of 1974 also impose penalties for misuse of SSNs. These are all federal felonies.
As I clearly stated in the letter to which Mr. Wasserman objected, there is a lot more to this story and questions needing answers and using this one very unique example is hardly the way to make a universal argument for all people who entered our country illegally. Ask the families of all of the victims killed by people who were in the country illegally.
As always, just my opinion.
Rick Barker
Valencia
