Social Security Administration (SSA) Acting Commissioner Nancy Berryhill urged Congress, in a statement today at a House hearing on Social Security fraud, to pass immigration legislation that requires mandatory use of E-Verify for all employers. Berryhill said that mandating E-Verify, an Internet-based system operated by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), would combat identity theft by reducing the fraudulent use of Social Security numbers (SSN) by illegal aliens.
"The administration also encourages Congress to pass legislation with a requirement that employers use DHS's E-Verify system," Berryhill said. "Mandatory use of E-Verify by employers would help reduce the incidence of fraudulent use of SSNs. We would be happy to work with you as you contemplate that or similar legislation."
"Any solution must be a durable and comprehensive one in order to reduce and ultimately prevent identity theft throughout public and private industry."
Trump Admin. Officials said that Berryhill's public endorsement of mandatory E-Verify stands in stark contrasts to previous resistance she has shown toward the Administration's immigration law enforcement efforts.
"Despite the SSA being potentially hugely helpful in cutting off the illegal-aliens jobs-magnet, they've been absolutely unwilling to cooperate," an official said.
For more on this story, see the Washington Examiner.
