Supreme Court rules out speedy deportation tool

Some say it is a matter of simple necessity, others say it is truly malice - the United States Supreme Court ruled it is a lack of knowledge. The "it" in question is the crime of identity theft, a fast-growing concern in today's economy. But what happens if "it" is an offense committed for the purpose of earning a living? On April 4, the Supreme Court reached the unanimous decision that a federal identity-theft law may not be used against immigrant workers in the country illegally who use false Social Security numbers to get jobs. People who use false documents can be jailed, the court said. But they cannot be convicted of the more serious crime of "aggravated identity theft" without proof that they knew the identification number belonged to someone else, the court ruled unanimously. Deportation is usually a slow, drawn out process if the undocumented immigrant does not have a serious felony on his record. But a conviction for aggravated identity theft would most likely lead to a speedy deportation. P.10