Gangs openly sell fake green cards, social security cards to illegal immigrants on New York streets

Photo: New York Post

Criminal gangs in New York City are reportedly selling fake green cards and social security cards to illegal immigrants in the city.

Reporters from the New York Post witnessed sales of the fake documents, going for between $80 and $250, along Roosevelt Avenue in Queens. These documents can be used to obtain driver's licenses or to gain work, but can also be used to set up a new identity.

Former special agent in charge of Homeland Security investigations in New England, Bruce Foucart told the outlet, "For someone that wants to do terrorist activity or is a national security threat, it’s easy to establish this second life within the US.” He added, "I guarantee right now, we’re just waiting for another 9/11.”

Associate professor at the Department of Criminal Justice at the Citadel, South Carolina, Roy Fenoff echoed this warning. “Once people have these fake cards, they can work, they can travel, they can access a lot of aspects and services in the United States,” he said.

"There are people getting these cards that are not here just to get a job, that they have other intentions, and this helps them carry out criminal activity," Fenoff added. "If I’m using a social security number that’s of another person, and then I’m committing crimes, and I’m using [their] name, you potentially have warrants out there for innocent people’s arrest, because you don’t really know who this person was."

In one of the instances observed by the Post, five men whipped "social, social" pedestrians passing La Gata Golosa bakery. One of the men said, "The work" as he offered a fake social security card to a reporter for $80. "I need your name, your whole name, your age... I can take your picture," he said while showing an example.

Police said the sellers they observed were part of the 18th Street gang and the notorious MS-13.

One of the store clerks in the area, Zee Omar told the outlet, "If they’re doing social security number and nobody says s–t, next time it’ll be weapons and passports." He added, "Everyone can do what they want now.”

New York City Democrat mayor Eric Adams has been a vocal critic of the Biden administration's handling of the illegal immigration crisis. Earlier this month he said, "It's not like New York is not saying we are not a city of immigrants. We are. We have a rich history of immigrants, but we can't take the global problem and [have] it become our problem.

That is unfair to New Yorkers, and is unfair to migrants." Adams said the city is "out of room."