Banks aid illegal entrants, critics say

Social Security numbers not needed for credit cards

By Ieva M. Augstums

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When news broke that Bank of America Corp. was testing a new credit card available to customers who may be illegal immigrants, the reaction was predictably harsh.

Outspoken critics of illegal immigration called for a boycott and said the bank could be supporting terrorists and drug traffickers. Some outraged customers closed accounts and sent back their cards, chopped into little pieces. The bank's chief executive, Ken Lewis, admitted that "finding oneself in the middle of a heated national debate is never pleasant."

But Bank of America isn't the first to offer such a card: Citigroup Inc. said it has done so for years, and Wells Fargo & Co. says it's thinking about it. The cards are merely the latest progression for an industry that has spent millions to attract customers in the country's growing Latino community — and among the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States.

They also reflect a fact faced by every retail business in the U.S. While they can't legally employ undocumented workers, there are few, if any, restrictions on welcoming them as customers.