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Fake Licenses Flood US Ahead of Critical Election

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Fake IDs are pouring into America this year, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

Through the end of June, federal officials had confiscated 19,888 fake driver’s licenses at Chicago O’Hare International Airport alone as part of 1,513 shipments, CBP announced in a news release.

Officials said the major sources of the fake IDs were China and Hong Kong.

“These counterfeit driver’s licenses can lead to disastrous consequences,” said Ralph Piccirilli, the acting port director in Chicago. “Criminal organizations use these counterfeit IDs to avoid attracting attention to their illegal activities.”

According to Ballotpedia, 34 states require identification to vote in the November presidential election, with 18 requiring a photo ID.

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Most of the fake IDs were for college-age students, and some had a common photo with different names.

The barcode on some phony Michigan licenses actually worked, CBP said in its release.

CBP outlined the consequences of fake licenses.

“These fraudulent identity documents can lead to identity theft, worksite enforcement, critical infrastructure protection, fraud linked to immigration-related crimes such as human smuggling and human trafficking,” the release read.

“These documents can be used by those individuals associated with terrorism to minimize scrutiny from travel screening measures.”

Fears of voter fraud resounded on Twitter.

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In April, CBP issued a release outlining an uptick in fake IDs at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. At that time, officials said they had confiscated about 2,000 fake licenses in the past 18 months.

Are you concerned about the possibility of voter fraud in the November election?

Port Director Timothy Lemaux noted that people who buy fake IDs expose themselves to the threat of identity theft.

“What is most disconcerting about theses interceptions, besides the volume in which we are experiencing, is the ease in which so many young people freely share their personal information with counterfeiters abroad,” Lemaux said in the release.

“We’ll continue to collaborate with local law enforcement to educate the public, and anyone who is contemplating purchasing a counterfeit ID online, on the potential dangers of sharing your personal identifiable information with a criminal element.”

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Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack Davis is a freelance writer who joined The Western Journal in July 2015 and chronicled the campaign that saw President Donald Trump elected. Since then, he has written extensively for The Western Journal on the Trump administration as well as foreign policy and military issues.
Jack can be reached at jackwritings1@gmail.com.
Location
New York City
Languages Spoken
English
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Foreign Policy, Military & Defense Issues




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