(AP) -- HOUSTON (AP) - The Salvation Army is defending its practice of requiring at least one Social Security number for each family registering their children to receive Christmas gifts.
Some had seen the practice as a way to check immigration status, but the charity says it's a way to avoid fraud.
Salvation Army Houston spokesman Juan Alines says the organization's work "is not to verify immigration status."
The controversy arose after the Houston Chronicle reported that the Salvation Army and another charity, Outreach Program Inc., were requiring Social Security numbers or documents that indicate immigration status.
No comment yet from Outreach Program founder and executive director Lorugene Young.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(Copyright ©2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
