The immigration raids in New Haven that nabbed illegal immigrants is a reminder that the city is not a country unto itself. Federal law still applies here although city officials called the arrests a "disgrace" and an act of "intimidation."


The roundup of illegal aliens came two days after New Haven became the first city in the country to approve a municipal identification card for illegal aliens. As far as conservative talk radio is concerned, the vote put New Haven on the far left fringe.

Advertisement


The card has proved hugely controversial, not just in the city's more conservative suburbs but among city taxpayers as well. The card is intended to make life easier for the illegal immigrants and consequently more firmly establish their residency here despite their violation of immigration laws.

We do not support the issuing of a card that is intended to subvert reasonable, if imperfect, federal law.

However, New Haven's response is understandable given the federal government's often contradictory policy on illegal aliens that has swung between crackdowns and minimal enforcement.

The city has an estimated 15,000 illegal immigrants, primarily from Mexico and the rest of Latin America. A main justification for the ID card was the difficulty of illegal aliens to open bank accounts. Without accounts, many have sums of cash that make them targets for robberies, police say.

How effective the card will be is open to question.

Rather than blending in, holders of the city ID card will be readily identifiable as illegal immigrants.

Major banks — including Bank of America, Wachovia, Wells Fargo, Citibank, Sovereign, Washington Mutual — already allow illegal aliens to open bank accounts or obtain credit cards, even mortgages.

The banks accept federal tax identification numbers issued by the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS does not inquire about immigration status when issuing the tax numbers and is barred by law, in most cases, from sharing information about them with immigration authorities. They also accept as identification photo ID cards issued by Mexican and other Latin American consulates to illegal immigrants.

However, city officials say local Bank of America branches and NewAlliance Bank require Social Security numbers, which the illegal aliens do not possess.

New Haven's ID card is a local reaction to a national problem that the city cannot solve.

It is unrealistic to expect that the estimated 11 million or more illegal aliens in the country will all be deported. There is a natural sympathy for them in a nation built by previous generations of immigrants.

Perhaps this year, Congress will pass a law that enables the nation to regain control of its borders while establishing a process that allows those who want to work here to enter and remain without fear of deportatio