New Haven Issues 6,400 ID Cards in First Year
BY:
Lucy Nalpathanchil - Thu, 07/17/2008 07:12 Article Audio

5:30 minutes (2.65 MB)
Download this Article New Haven's ID program marks one year next week but measuring success is difficult



Hundreds of city residents lined up to get ID cards last July 24th: Photo by Chion Wolf Last July, hundreds of city residents lined up inside New Haven City Hall to apply for the Elm City Resident ID card.

For many like Marvin Guevara, they came to get the only photo ID available to them.

"Finally just to identify that I'm a resident of New Haven."

It also gives them access to city services, recreational facilities, and can be used to open up accounts at four area banks.

Guevara is one of an estimated 10-15,000 illegal immigrants living in the city. Many are from Mexico, Guatamala, and Ecuador. City officials said they hoped the ID program would help bring these residents out of the shadows.

"Actually, you feel it in the community. You do. When you go out
there, there's a difference. People are, you know, they're out there,they're more visible."

Lieutenant Luis Casanova heads the Police sub-station in Fair Haven. It's a neighborhood where many legal and illegal immigrants live. He says undocumented residents have been easy targets for robbery because they often carry large amounts of cash. Casanova says, now the ID card can help them avoid being robbed because they can use it to open bank accounts.

And, he says more people are coming to the police, because of a general order not to ask about citizenship status.

"It sends a message to the bad element that the undocumented folks are no longer going to be robbed and be assaulted and not report it."

But city officials have found it difficult to measure the success of the program, either with crime statistics or bank records. Neither the city, nor the four banks would release any information about how often the Elm City card is being used.

One bank spokesman said they rarely saw the ID. Another said they see it a few times a week to cash checks. And when WNPR took the question to the Mayor John DeStefano's office, a spokeswoman said there was no system in place to track how the ID is being used.

But several illegal immigrants living in New Haven told us how they're using the Elm City card...

On a Sunday morning, St. Rose of Lima Church is filled with immigrants living in the Fair Haven neighborhood.

Sergio, who only wanted us to use his first name, is an illegal immigrant from Mexico who’s lived in New Haven for six years.

He says he wasn’t able to open a bank account with the Elm City ID alone so he found another way.

“Unfortunately I went to all the banks and no one could accept this card. I had to go to another and use my fake, a bank account with that card.â€