11:07 am By Maegan La Mala · Cities|Immigration|San Francisco · 1 Comment
16 Jan 2009
In November 2007 Maegan told you that San Francisco had followed New Haven, Connecticut’s lead in approving I.D. cards for immigrants. Today, the reality of such a move manifested itself in long lines to get the cards:
Hundreds of people stood in line for hours at San Francisco City Hall on Thursday to be among the first in the nation to receive municipal identification cards regardless of their immigration status.The cards, also available in New Haven, Conn., and being considered in other cities, have sparked fury among advocates of stricter immigration laws. They argue cities have no business declaring people residents if they are not in the country legally.
But San Francisco officials and recipients of the cards hailed the new program as a way to connect undocumented immigrants with banks, businesses and city services, such as obtaining health care and checking out library books. They also said it will encourage card holders to report crimes to the police without fear of being arrested or deported.
11:37 am By Jennifer Woodard Maderazo · Connecticut|Controversia|Immigration · Comments Off
27 Jul 2007
As some cities try to write discrimination into their local laws (and then find that these laws are illegal), one East Coast community is making immigrants’ lives easier. Last month Maegan told us about the plan approved in New Haven Connecticut to provide I.D. cards to undocumented immigrants, which would make getting access to local services a lot easier. Earlier this week, the cards became a reality, but not without controversy. Reuters reports:
Opponents hope to rally the public against it. Southern Connecticut Citizens for Immigration Reform says the ID cards will change “the entire country as we know it” and is organizing a protest on Tuesday at city hall.“There are millions of illegal aliens right around us that when these ID cards are available to them, they will rush to them and get some identification that will allow them to go to other cities,” said Ted Pechinski, who leads the group.
VivirLatino is a daily publication published by Mamita Mala Media, dedicated to featuring all the latest politics, culture, entertainment of interest to the diverse Latin@ diaspora.
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