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New Haven opts to validate its illegal residents

The Connecticut city begins issuing ID cards July 24 to undocumented immigrants, a first in the US.

from the July 17, 2007 edition

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"Let a few thousand more go there and use their [social] services until New Haven needs to ask for federal assistance," says William Gheen, president of the group, based in North Carolina. The city is committing a felony by abetting illegal immigrants and "any terrorists among them," he charges.

Politically, New Haven's plan goes against the grain. For example, 48 state-level bills regarding immigration and documentation were introduced this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. All 48 looked to restrict illegal immigrants. At the local-government level, 100 of 130 immigration ordinances introduced last year were called "anti-immigrant" in an online database of Fair Immigration Reform Movement, which advocates immigrants' rights and is based in Washington.

In New Haven, the main motivation for the ID cards was public safety, says Kica Matos, the city's community services administrator and a main initiator of the program. One reason the illegal immigrant community doesn't trust the police and doesn't come forward to report crimes is that police invariably ask to see ID.

The proposal sailed through the board of aldermen last month 25 to 1. The mayor was supportive. Yale Law School provided legal representation and advice. Local immigrant-rights groups lobbied for it,

"We're small enough that this issue is very much in people's consciousness," Ms. Matos says, "They live and work with undocumented immigrants.... Everyone is somewhat touched by them in their everyday life."

The card isn't just for illegal immigrants, either, Matos says. It was designed to be useful for all residents, she adds, so it wouldn't be regarded as a "scarlet U" for "undocumented."

The city has fielded calls from governments and immigrant-rights groups in New York, San Francisco, and Washington State, she says. "There's a lot of buzz around the card, but they're waiting for us to get our program rolling."

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