This may not be a proper diary but here goes.
I have a radical rightwingnutjob family member who texts me several times a day with his latest outrage . . . sourced to Fox, Pajamas Media, Hot Air, Breitbart, or some other nutcase source.
However, today he sent me a text that has raised a question.
Follow below the fold.
My relative stated the immigration reform bill that passed the Senate allows a person to forge two passports before committing a crime. I didn't believe this, so, I Googled around and found this:
Section 1541 of Title 18 of the U.S. Code currently requires criminal penalties for issuing “any” unauthorized passports. As amended by S. 744--the Senate immigration bill --a person would not be dealt criminal penalties until they forged "3 or more passports."
Printed on Page 777 of the bill, the language says: "SEC. 3707. REFORM OF PASSPORT, VISA, AND IMMIGRATION FRAUD OFFENSES.
"(a) TRAFFICKING IN PASSPORTS.—Section 1541 of title 18, United States Code, is amended to read as follows: § 1541. Trafficking in passports (a) MULTIPLE PASSPORTS.—Subject to subsection (b), any person who, during any period of 3 years or less, knowingly—(1) and without lawful authority produces, issues, or transfers 3 or more passports; (2) forges, counterfeits, alters, or falsely makes 3 or more passports; ‘(3) secures, possesses, uses, receives, buys, sells, or distributes 3 or more passports, knowing the passports to be forged, counterfeited, altered, falsely made, stolen, procured by fraud, or produced or issued without lawful authority; or (4) completes, mails, prepares, presents, signs, or submits 3 or more applications for a United States passport, knowing the applications to contain any materially false statement or representation, shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 20 years, or both."
Section 1541, Title 18, currently says any production of a forged passport is a crime.
Surely I am missing something here. Why would we allow someone to forge two passports before making their actions a crime?