Agents Easily Get U.S. Passports with Bogus Info

(CBS)  Despite government promises to tighten the process of issuing e-Passports, undercover agents had no trouble getting the passports using bogus information, according to the Center for Public Integrity.

In one instance, federal agents were able to dupe the State Department by using a dead man's name on an e-Passport application, according to Gregory Kutz, an investigator for the Government Accountability Office, who will testify Thursday to a Senate committee about the matter.

This is not the first time undercover agents have blatantly exposed U.S. security holes in obtaining passports.

Last year, in a similar test of post-9/11 security, a federal investigator obtained passports using phony documents and the identities of a dead man and a 5-year-old boy.

"State's passport issuance process continues to be vulnerable to fraud," Kutz says in prepared testimony obtained by the CPI.

Kutz said his team was able to get the State Department to issue five of the seven e-Passports it requested using fake information.

According to the CPI, Sen. Benjamin Cardin, D-Md., who chairs the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security, is introducing legislation Thursday in a bid to fix the security holes exposed by GAO. The legislation would give officials who screen e-Passport applications new authority to access information in sensitive federal, state and other databases to help identify fraudulent applicants, the CPI notes.

"The U.S. passport is the gold standard for identification. It certifies an individual's identity and U.S. citizenship, and allows the passport holder to travel in and out of the United States and to foreign countries, obtain further identification documents, and set up bank accounts," Cardin said. "We simply cannot issue U.S. passports in this country on the basis of fraudulent documents. There is too much at stake."

[kenhamlett]

Another item without the least bit of surprise.
Years ago my identity was stolen using the corrupt US Postal Service to issue a passport with my identity to another person. That bogus document might still be out there in use because once I discovered the sham they refused to investigate. This was no mistake or mix-up. It was a willful act by the USPS.
Our government is a sham. Corruption exists on every level in every department. They should simply fire everyone and start over because what we have now is hopeless.

[skepticalJM]

Why have a passport at all? Anybody can walk across the US border; it was just sanctified by a US court! Why have a country? We have a president that doesn't even represent his own people!
What is sad is there are soldiers dying to defend this country, while this is going on!

[miami_don]

Did your mother drop you on your head a lot? What the US Court sanctified was the US Constitution. My Consititution.

I am not sure I follow your logic about our troops. Our troops are fighting because 3000 people were murdered on American soil. Not all of those people were American citizens. Those soldiers you are talking about each swore and oath to defend the U.S. Constitution & God bless each one of them.

Our president was elected my the majority and if he does not do a good job he will voted out. That is how it works here in our nation and it has absolutly nothing to do with someone being able to get an American passport. I am grateful to these investigators for finding the problem. Now, let's fix it.

Oh, sorry, I forgot, Republicans do not fix anything just complain because they broke it.

[Ruler4You]

The problem here is two fold. 1). the government doesn't WANT the process stopped. It aides in the eventual 'crisis' they will need to suspend ALL constitutional predisposition. And 2). because of the first, the entire process is systemically, institutionally, fundamentally, hopelessly, irreparably broken. Thank you politicians.

[miami_don]

Where do they find you people? Do you honestly believe what you wrote? My God - get some meds!

[GunsInTheSky]

This is the down side of the laws passed after 9/11 requiring passports to travel to places like Canada and Mexico.

The number of applicants have skyrocketed. The number of people assigned to the task have note.

With a backlog a mile long there has been pressure to process the applications quickly, resulting in lax security...clearly a trade off that may make the entire process meaningless.

[miami_don]

This I can understand. Thank you Gun.

[Vet_Turner]

The feds I work with are dilligent, work hard and any one of you would be proud to have them work for you. But this is the same agency though that gave Mahammed Atta a visa extension 6 months after he crashed in the WTC. Time to hold these people responsible. Issue two bad passports, go find a job at Taco Bell.

[miami_don]

I agree. Well said.

[tsigili]

Illegal immigrants can get fraudulent documentation, to appear to be in the country legally, with EASE!

[nehicks]

Yet the Feds will allow illegal aliens, with fraudulent documents to stay here with no oversight by INS/ICE or allow the states to step in and seek out these people. The Feds refuse to punish sanctuary states and cities, punish those who are here illegally and require states that receive Federal funds to utilize the National I.D. program or the E-verify program. Throw out the entire Federal government and reset it to ONLY the departments that the original Constitution set up. Let the states do the rest.

[wyodutch]

Does anyone... ANYONE.. doubt that the United States government is a rats-nest of incompetents and morons?
.
Good God... The feds want the power to monitor every aspect of our lives, but can't even issue passports without screwing it up.
.
Getting time we consider pushing the big, red "reset" button on the entire U.S. government, fire or jail most of the thugs and thieves, then hire decent, honest people to take their place.