Who's Responsible? Identity Theft Fueled by Government Inaction and Illegal Immigration

In this episode of The Miller Report: Real Clear Journalism, Maggie Miller breaks down a new RealClearInvestigations report by Jim Varney exposing how stolen Social Security numbers are routinely used to obtain illegal employment, while the Americans whose identities are taken may be left with phantom wages, surprise tax bills, damaged credit, and years-long fights to clear their names.

The investigation reveals major weaknesses in the federal government’s employment verification system, including E-Verify, which confirms whether numbers match records but not whether the person using them is who they claim to be. With no national oversight, and some states actively restricting its use, investigators say the system all but invites fraud. We discuss the true scope of the problem, why accountability has been so elusive, who bears responsibility, and whether this is ultimately an immigration issue, an identity-security failure, or a breakdown in government competence — and what, if anything, can be done to fix it.