Thread: Richmond backs off issuing IDs for illegal immigrants

http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky...printstory.jsp

By Peter Mathews
CENTRAL KENTUCKY BUREAU

RICHMOND - The city has put on hold a controversial plan to issue identification cards to immigrants amid what the city manager called "a misunderstanding" between city officials and the local migrant outreach program.

"We were under the impression it was for legal residents," City Manager David Evans said today. "The Hispanic outreach office wanted it to be offered to everyone."

A Herald-Leader story about the program Saturday prompted a lot of calls to city officials and Lexington talk radio from critics who were, in Evans' words, "barbecuing the city" over the program.

Many of them thought, incorrectly, that the identification card would confer legal status on people who were in this country illegally, Evans said.

The city is writing to the Immigration and Naturalization Service to get an opinion on whether the program conforms to agency regulations.

Because it was not clear when the response would come, the city has dropped plans to hand out the identification cards at the first meeting of the Latino/Hispanic Community Police Academy, scheduled for Tuesday.

"A Herald-Leader story about the program Saturday prompted a lot of calls to city officials and Lexington talk radio from critics who were, in Evans' words, "barbecuing the city" over the program."

Thats good I hope they keep it up and deep fry them because they will still try and pull it off.