I Would like to understand how the Witness protection program works

Try this (http://people.howstuffworks.com/witness-protection.htm) or this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witness_Protection_Program).

First in the US, there are Federal program and there are state programs.

The first to remember in most programs, the person going in, is often also a criminal, most are not just innocent victiims but some are.

For those who are criminals they are given a new name to serve their time and sent to special prisons. They also cross reference contact with any other prisoner that may know them. After they service their time, they will be given a new ID, and set up at sohme place normally far away from where they used to live. All of the bad guys know they are alive, since they had to appear in court to testify against the other person, so there is no phoney death scenes and the such.

After set up in the program, at some point the feds back away and the person is on their own.

They are not allowed any contact with anyone they ever knew except for a few letters a couple times a year, all of these must go though the Federal Marshal office.

... they will be given a new ID, and ...

Since most ID's are state (driver licenses, birth certificates, occupational licenses, etc.), not federal, how do the feds manage this? Do they forge the new IDs or do they somehow get state cooperation. And if it's the latter, do the state bureaucrats have statutory authority to help, or do they just look the other way?

Sorry not in my area, I was in the field and in the job training facility with the program.
In the prison system, their new ID just appeared in the system as if it was always there, shows fake convictions, fake records and the such. ( to justify being in prison)
When they get out, they are issued a new prison ID ( to use to get drivers license and the such) and new birth certificates.

Most of the jobs they are given don't require state licenses, although they may train for them latter using new ID and pass the tests. While this is not first hand, but what I "heard" so take it with that warning, others not in prison going into the new world are given a fake past, often using companies that were closed. Or a couple of companies that are more forward service for them. They are issued drivers license with new ID from perhaps from one or two specific areas. Birth certificates are easily faked with seals and all. And there is no real double check, you can't call ( and no one does) to verify a birth certificate if it is imprinted and on all the proper seals.

On background checks, they may call and verfiy college, but when is the last time someone called to verify your graduation from Central Chicago High School, you have a certificate, how often is it questioned.

...
When they get out, they are issued a new prison ID ( to use to get drivers license and the such) and new birth certificates.
...

New fake BCs?


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They are issued drivers license with new ID from perhaps from one or two specific areas. Birth certificates are easily faked with seals and all. ...

Wow. Federal Marshals breaking the laws. Who would have figured?

If I was a state AG, I would take delight in putting a few of these federal officers away for a few years. :)

Remember states rights do not really exist much today, it was lost at Civil War and each Supreme court ruling ( not all of course) weaken the power of the state to the Federal Government.

But a police officer can speed, or run a red light, a police officer can carry a weapon in places no one else can. They can "detain" a person with less issues than others.
There are exceptions to almost any law.

A few states, remember have given rights to issue license to private companies, and it is very likely specific areas work with Feds in these ways.

And it is not really the Marshals , they merely do as told, it is higher up in the Justice Dept and in clerks offices, where all the paper work and ID come from. Thus those in the low lands ( like myself) don't really know exactly how it is done.

Remember just like recently where Obama merely tells them ( OK does some order or paper) not to enforce certain parts of immigration law. It is still illegal, but officers are told not to obey the law by the boss. If I tried that, tell my employees just ignore that silly income tax law, it does not go far.

... Remember just like recently where Obama merely tells them ( ok does some order or paper) not to enforce certain parts of immigration law. It is still illegal, but officers are told not to obey the law by the boss. If I tried that, tell my employees just ignore that silly income tax law, it does not go far.

That SOB should be impeached, but don't get me started there. :(

Maybe the POTUS can get away with telling federal officials to not obey federal law; but it's a different story if federal officials try to ignore state law. McClintock v. Maryland only goes so far: the feds can over-ride a state law only if it conflicts with a validly enacted federal law. I don't see that the WitProt program is backed up by such a law.

I Would like to understand how the Witness protection program works

What do you want to understand and why?