Catherwood LibraryILR School

In a massive attempt to correct discrepancies in its files, the Social Security Administration is sending out almost seven times as many letters to employers this year informing them of mismatches between employees’ names and Social Security Numbers. The agency---which has no prosecutorial powers and is prohibited from sharing records with such agencies as the Immigration and Naturalization Service, which do---is informing employers that many of the discrepancies may be the result of recent marriages and simple bookkeeping errors. Immigrant advocacy groups and industry organizations, however, are warning that the firmly worded letters are causing many employers to insist that implicated employees provide valid cards---an impossibility for the undocumented immigrants that many businesses rely on.