[Jayhawkk]

Bank of America launches credit card for illegal immigrants - On Deadline - USATODAY.com

Bank of America, the country's second-largest bank, "has quietly begun offering credit cards to customers without Social Security numbers -- typically illegal immigrants," according to the Wall Street Journal.

Customers can qualify for a credit card if they have had a checking account at the bank for at least three months. They are required to leave a deposit and pay a relatively high interest rate, according to the paper.

The program is controversial. Bank of America says it will help undocumented workers build good credit. But critics say one of the USA's largest financial institutions should not be helping people who violate the country's immigration laws.

"They are clearly crossing the line; they are actually aiding and abetting people who broke the law," says the spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform.

Make no mistake about it: millions of dollars are at stake.

"If we don't disproportionately grow in the Hispanic [market]...we aren't going to grow" as a bank, a company official told the Journal.

USA TODAY reported last year about the buying power of immigrant customers, including undocumented workers. Bank of America says nearly half of the nation's Hispanic households have one of its credit cards.





The funny thing is BofA is the same bank the US gov't uses for all their credit cards issued to the military/civilians

[Jayhawkk]

Back when I was in the Army I had a school to go to and we had to use their cards. I didn't get my reimbursement from the Army until roughly 3 months later. I wrote a check to them and it was cashed. I had to keep faxing copies to them because they said they were never paid.

Anyways about 6-7 months later it was fixed and I shut down my card. They never noted that the time spent was in disputes(almost caught me an article 15 until I went and got all the proof with dates) and now I may never have a BofA card again(ever) because I was over 90 days overdue according to them. I found this out when I PCS'd and went to another school. I had to pay out of pocket for a 4 week school...Not cool.

If this is indeed the way it pans out it is complete bull****.

[dsade]

I think I am going to close my account.

[Jayhawkk]

Their social standards have failed them in a extremely corrupt country/countries. The problem is that they don't become Americanized. We become more like their country. If we don't set standards, limits and procedures that are in stone and enforced we will hurt ourselves in the longrun.

I'm all for people coming to the US but i'm sorry that more are coming than we can take at a time. The rules should still be enforced. I just don't see anything good from throwing our hands up to the situation.

[Jayhawkk]

I wish I had the answer but whatever it turns out to be we probably won't get it until it's too late to do anything.

[EEmain]

Was audited... part of it was to prove my children are mine and were living with me in 2005.
SS cards...not good enough... birth certs... need more info. School records, med records or get this a GREEN CARD

[bioman]

I bet B of A loses as much business from outraged Americans as it gains from illegals.

Spank of America!

[anabolicrhino]

Simply, banks control the US government. So, where there seems to be a program to restrict illegal immigration from the Mexican board, this is only for show.

If this US government was truly worried about terrorism and illegal immigration, Home Land Security would simply close the boarders with National Guardsmen.(unless they are busy somewhere else)

The system relies on tax dollars to make it run. The more people in the system the more money there is to run it.

Social security numbers(SSN) have been historically used to ID taxpayers. Illegal immigrants have no SSN, so they need a different ID number..and behold....the bank account number!!!

The Illegals will be drawn into the system, once the cash is deposited (direct deposited by the employers), it will be taxed!

Bush mentioned in his State of the Union Address that a national workers card will be implemented in the future. This sounds like a reference to May 2008 when the National ID cards program will be initiated. Most (USA-born)Americans would find this objectionable, So they will introduce the program as a method for addressing the illegal worker issue.

Eventually, all Americans will carry this RFID-type card

Bank of America is just making it easier to find these people when its collection time.

[Jayhawkk]

You honestly believe that just because they have a bank account and credit card that they will have taxable earnings? WHat looks good on paper is usually nothing but a dream of what people wish would happen. Just go to any gov't installation and see how many illegals are working for sub contractors for projects.

[Mrs. Gimpy!]

thanks for the article jayhawkk......

thats sooo irritating I just dont know what to say...

[RedwolfWV]

If they do this, I will be cancelling my BoA card. No doubt about it.

[anabolicrhino]

Originally Posted by Jayhawkk

You honestly believe that just because they have a bank account and credit card that they will have taxable earnings? WHat looks good on paper is usually nothing but a dream of what people wish would happen. Just go to any gov't installation and see how many illegals are working for sub contractors for projects.

I think what is happening is a reconditioning of what the term illegal will mean in the workforce. Illegal will refer to a person who does not have an official worker ID card.

The worker IDs will make the holder eligible to work anywhere in the North American Union(usa,mexico,canada)

Illegals will be unregistered workers. When the system becomes cashless in a few years, those without worker IDs will not be able to work in the system because the employer will have no way to pay them.They will not be able to make purchases within the retail market system. They will not be able to use public assistance or transportation.