Laura Glesby file photo
Kica Matos: Time to lead again.
Sixteen years after New Haven became the first city to issue a municipal ID card to city residents regardless of their citizenship status, advocates are calling on the city to once again lead the way in protecting immigrant rights — including by creating a new city Office of Immigrant Affairs.
Kica Matos made that point at City Hall at a Board of Alders Joint City Services and Environmental Policy/Health and Human Services Committee-hosted workshop on immigrant support services — or, as the title of the workshop put it, on “equitable civic, social, and economic opportunities for immigrant residents of the City of New Haven.”
The meeting took place Thursday night in person in the Aldermanic Chamber on the second floor of City Hall as well as over Zoom. The committee heard from both city officials and local groups supporting immigrants about how New Haven city government can be a leader in this area again.
National Immigration Law Center President (and former top city official) Kica Matos spoke first, over Zoom.
Matos, a Fair Haven resident with a long history of service work in New Haven — from being the former executive director of Junta for Progressive Action to serving as deputy mayor during the DeStefano administration — urged city government to address the high demand for immigrant support.
With hundreds, possibly thousands, of immigrants having arrived in New Haven this year, Matos advocated for the creation of an Office of Immigrant Affairs, connecting migrants quickly to cost-effective, permanent housing, and making sure that necessary resources are linguistically accessible.
She also emphasized the importance of strengthening workers’ rights, as many migrants — particularly those who are undocumented and therefore more precarious — face exploitation and harassment in the workplace. Matos drew attention to the work of Unidad Latina en Acción (ULA) to raise awareness of labor conditions for migrants in the city. For example, the city could draft an ordinance addressing wage theft, a widespread local issue.
Fair Haven Alder Sarah Miller asked Matos about the establishment of the ID card. These municipal ID cards, first launched in 2007, allowed anyone in the city with proof of residence to use cards to open bank accounts, be more secure in interactions with local police, and access resident-only privileges. Matos explained that the idea came after more migrants began arriving in the city, and many were exploited by landlords and employers. Undocumented immigrants, who could not previously open bank accounts and therefore often kept cash on their person, were also frequent victims of robberies on pay day, usually Thursdays.
Seventy municipalities went on to follow in New Haven’s footsteps by creating municipal ID cards of their own. But now, Matos said, New Haven has fallen way behind after once taking the lead.
“We haven’t innovated, we haven’t moved it forward, we haven’t done the proper outreach,” she told the alders on Thursday. She urged the city to “be courageous and bold.”
Dereen Shirnekhi photo
At Thursday's hearing at City Hall.
Later, the committee heard from representatives of local groups that support immigrants arriving in the city. They all described an increase in immigrants with a lack of the proper resources to support them.
Jacqueline Gonzalez of Junta for Progressive Action stated that “numbers have doubled.” Sami Niazai from Integrated Refugee and Immigrant Services (IRIS) said that they are serving around 1,000 people this year — up from last year’s 600. Sister Mary Ellen Burns of Apostle Immigrant Services said that the organization is serving around 650 people.
Fatima Rojas of the Semilla Collective described the organization’s grassroots efforts to build economic, social, and political power for immigrants in the city. ULA Co-founder and Community Organizing Director John Lugo spoke similarly, stating that although New Haven considers itself to be a sanctuary city, there is “a lack of justice in language.” He argued for holding public hearings in churches and schools to increase participation.
He also referenced the events of a June public hearing related to the charter revision, where a ULA member described the unique challenges she faced as a non-citizen, including sexual harassment in the workplace, and was interrupted by alders who stated that she was off-topic. Dozens of ULA members, including Lugo, walked out of the hearing in protest.
Lugo emphasized the prevalence of wage theft, as well as the need for the city to help immigrants access immigration lawyers, like New York’s policy of universal representation. He referenced members of the Senate pushing to heavily restrict asylum eligibility, and the negotiations that are currently happening, of which Connecticut senator Chris Murphy is a part.
“There is a reality where Trump becomes president again, and that reality forces New Haven to do everything possible so that our community can feel they are being welcomed in this city,” Lugo said by way of the translator provided to him.
East Rock Alder Anna Festa later asked Community Services Administrator Eliza Halsey what her thoughts were on a welcome center or dedicated office for immigrant affairs, where immigrants could be connected to local resources and agencies. The advocates in the room had seconded Matos’ suggestion. Festa also floated the idea of consistent meetings between Halsey’s office and local advocacy groups.
Halsey said that she was open to the idea, while recognizing the limitations of her team. “We want to think creatively, we want to make sure that we’re listening and leveraging resources in a way that works for all of our residents,” she said.
She stated that, in her few months in office, she herself has had some engagement with local organizations, but there has not been any collective conversation so far.
forces New Haven to do everything possible so that our community can feel they are being welcomed in this city, Lugo said by way of the translator provided to him
I believe the answer is right there, if they really care for a fast and effective way of solving issues: having interpreters available in city hall for the services that are already set up and available; theres no need to create and additional office with a director, staff etc that will take away resources from people that really need them. As an immigrant, most of us are seeking a fair shot while things are being figured out. Having interpreters readily available like they did for Jhon Lugo there will break the barrier and will take a person straight to where they need to be without additional bureaucracy.