Justices Grapple With Identity Fraud by Undocumented Immigrants

U.S. Supreme Court justices grappled with a case that could bolster the power of states to prosecute undocumented immigrants for identity theft if they use someone else’s Social Security number to apply for a job.

Hearing arguments in Washington, the justices considered reinstating the Kansas convictions of three men who got restaurant jobs by putting other people’s Social Security numbers on the federal form that employers use to verify work eligibility. In throwing out the convictions, the Kansas Supreme Court said only the U.S. government can press prosecutions based on information entered on that form, known as the I-9.

A ...