The Cook County Sheriff's Office has announced that three men are facing felony charges in connection with a fraudulent documents scheme. The men allegedly provided fake identification and social security cards to foreign nationals in Chicago, according to a press release from the Sheriff's Office.

In a statement from Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart's office, it was revealed that the three Chicago men were arrested on felony charges for selling counterfeit IDs, social security cards, drivers licenses and green cards to illegal immigrants. These immigrants, originally from Texas, had been transported to Chicago by bus. During a search of the suspects' residence, officers discovered 481 counterfeit identification cards.

Dart further elaborated on the investigations into numerous instances of retail theft involving migrants, predominantly from Venezuela. These investigations uncovered a scheme where these migrants were exploited due to their desperation for employment. They were coerced into stealing specific items which were then exchanged for fraudulent IDs or sold for cash that was subsequently used to acquire fake identification. "The work permitting process has to be addressed," Dart said. "These migrants are just trying to get a job. We can debate about immigration policy, but for those that are here already, we can’t just ignore them."

WLS-TV Chicago, an ABC News affiliate, reported that despite the charges related to manufacturing and selling fake IDs, Dart believes this is merely one of several criminal rings exploiting migrants' desperation for profit. "Most of the people we are talking to on this are people absolutely looking for this ID to get a job," Dart stated. Aneesha Gandhi of the National Immigrant Justice Center assists migrants in completing asylum and work authorization applications. She emphasized that while immigration authorities don't automatically penalize those using fake documents, individuals may still face criminal consequences; she acknowledges the challenging circumstances that drive some to work unlawfully.

According to Business Daily, former U.S Border Patrol agent Ammon Blair claimed that cartels use fake documentation as a means to smuggle illegal immigrants into the United States, enabling them to secure employment using counterfeit IDs. This practice poses significant challenges for American businesses that are unable to verify document authenticity, thereby risking legal repercussions from the Department of Labor for potentially employing underage workers. Despite efforts like E-Verify, which has faced criticism for failing to identify millions of illegal hires, concerns persist about its effectiveness. Blair underscored the vulnerability of the Southern border to fake document production and highlighted the cartels' use of fraudulent IDs and social security numbers, especially involving Unidentified Alien Children (UACs) with unverifiable information, leading to child labor and human trafficking issues in the United States.