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Hundreds turn out in Pomona for ID cards

By Monica Rodriguez, Staff Writer
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

POMONA - It was still dark outside when Enrique Marin took his place in line about 4:30 a.m. Saturday outside the gates of First Presbyterian Church in Pomona.

When the gates to the church courtyard opened at 7 a.m., the line behind Marin had about 300 people - and more were still arriving.

They came to obtain a consular identification card issued by representatives of the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles.

"I wanted to be among the first -- I still have to go to work," Marin, a Pomona resident, said in Spanish.

For undocumented residents, the cards are used to open bank accounts, allowing them to break their dependence on expensive check cashing services. The cards are also a valid form of identification for many law enforcement agencies, organizers said.

Although the cards were picked up by mostly undocumented immigrants, they were also sought by a number of people who are in the United States legally, Gonzalez said. The card will identify the holder as a Mexican citizen when they want to re-enter Mexico.

This was the Consulate's second visit to Pomona to issue the cards.

Last year, about 1,500 people showed up at the Cal Poly Pomona Downtown Center. Only 500 cards were issued because many people lacked the necessary paperwork, said Ana Gonzalez, a leader with the Pomona-Inland Valley Cluster of One LA.

To smooth the process, in recent weeks One LA held three sessions at two area churches, where members reviewed applicants' paperwork ahead of time, Gonzalez said.

One LA is a grass-roots organization made up of church, labor and other groups. It is attempting to address various issues of concern for families, which range from education to public safety.

The advance review ensured that all who sought cards Saturday would receive them, she said, and that total was expected to reach about 500 people.

Marin left the church, card in hand, about 9 a.m.

"This is the only identification I can get," he said. "I can't have a California identification" card.

The Pomona Police Department accepts the consular identification card for infractions, along with the card holder's thumbprint on the back of the citation, Sgt. Rob Baker said.

In the case of a misdemeanor, the cardholder could be held for up to six hours while police officers confirm the person's identity, Baker said. For a felony, a cardholder would be held until he is released on bail or is turned over to the courts.

Some private companies accept the card as a form of identification, according to the Migration Policy Institute, a Washington, D.C., think tank.

Several states - but not California - accept the card when an individual applies for a driver's license.

John Whitney, an organizer with One LA and a member of First Presbyterian Church, acknowledged that the card doesn't give undocumented immigrants all the rights that a permanent resident has, such as the right to vote.

But the card may provide confidence and make undocumented immigrants more willing to be active in their neighborhoods or their children's schools, he said.

People can develop "a sense of ownership and perhaps a little courage to enter public life," Whitney said.

Saturday's effort was the first time Catholic and Protestant churches in Pomona came together to work on such an event, organizers said.

Churches need to work together to make life better for city residents, including undocumented immigrants, said Santos Ramos, senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Pomona,

"The church is society's conscience when it's at its best," Ramos said.

Bishop Gabino Zavala, auxiliary bishop of the San Gabriel Pastoral Region of the Los Angeles Archdiocese, pronounced the event "a wonderful service for the community."

Lending a hand to those in need, such as undocumented workers, is a message in the Gospel, Zavala said.

"We are called to serve the people regardless of who they are," he said.

Monica Rodriguez can be reached by e-mail at m_rodriguezor by phone at (909) 483-9336.