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IMMIGRATION DEBATE

New Haven Under Immigration Microscope
Officials Defend ID Program; Opponents Debate Policy
UPDATED: 11:14 pm EST November 5, 2007

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Juan has lived and worked in New Haven as an undocumented immigrant for 11 years.

He works to send money home to his family in Ecuador. For more than a decade, Juan hasn't had any form of identification -- until now.

Juan has since applied for an Elm City Resident Card. He told Eyewitness News what a big deal it is for him. He hopes to open a bank account and even do something he couldn't do without an ID -- take the train to visit relatives in New York.

"No ID, no ticket," Juan said.

Juan isn't alone. Channel 3 Eyewitness News reporter Eric Parker reported some 3,500 people picked up a resident ID in the program's first two months alone. While it's marketed to all residents -- including college students and seniors -- New Haven Mayor John DeStefano admitted that undocumented aliens are the biggest customers.

"We're all going to have to come to terms with this large undocumented population," DeStefano said.

Opponents Deem Program Threatening

Some groups continue to protest the city's efforts to reach out to illegal immigrants, saying the cards make the city a beacon for people already the country illegally, which the protesters consider a threat.

"(It's) a threat to blue-collar people, Americans: Losing our jobs," said Bill Farrel, a coordinator for a nonprofit group called Southern Connecticut Immigration Reform (SCtIR). "They're not going to make new jobs. Because of these IDs, illegals will come here and take existing jobs."

"I don't think that there's anything about other people coming to New Haven for the card. People will come to New Haven because they want to work, for those kinds of reasons," DeStefano said. "They won't come for the plastic."

The card does offer some services. It can be used for parking, as a library card and as a debit card at some local stores. Supporters said the program is not designed to help the undocumented population get any access they wouldn't have anyway.

Mayor: New Haven Immigration Policy Not Unique

Opponents also argued against the city's overall policy toward illegal aliens, including a police department policy that immigration status is not part of a routine investigation.

"The police department is being prevented from asking people their country of origin when they stop them, so the ID card cannot assist the police in any way," said SCtIR spokeswoman Veronica Kivela, who is also a founding member of the group.

Eyewitness News obtained department policy that states officers shouldn't "inquire about the immigration status of crime victims, witnesses or others who call or approach the police."

While department policy indicates officers should cooperate with federal immigration officials when they're looking for immigrants accused of committing crimes, civil warrants for people in the city illegally are not considered the police department's responsibility.

"All we're asking is that the entire community be treated in the same way under the law," Farrel said.

"Being an undocumented resident is a civil violation of the law, much like not paying alimony is a civil violation," DeStefano said. "So, for civil violations, we -- like virtually every police department in America -- we don't aggressively pursue those issues."

City officials said that policy and the identification card program will remain in effect until the federal government establishes an immigration policy that everyone can agree on.

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