Lawmaker Pitches New Social Security Cards

The federal government would have to redesign Social Security cards to make them as tamper-resistant as U.S. passports or $100 bills, under immigration legislation being studied by the House.

A more secure design would reduce the numbers of illegal aliens who find jobs in the United States with the help of counterfeit documents, the bill’s author, Rep. Bill McCollum, R-Fla., told a House panel Tuesday.

“It is simply unacceptable that one document that is most commonly used to prove eligibility for employment is nothing more than a flimsy paper document that is easily counterfeited,” McCollum told the House Judiciary immigration subcommittee.

McCollum said the improved card wouldn’t be used as a national identification card, an idea that has been passionately denounced by those concerned with privacy and the amount of personal information compiled on government computers.