Ten years before New Haven emerged as a “sanctuary city” in the crosshairs of President Donald Trump’s vow to take away federal millions, the city saw a problem — and came up with a solution.
The problem: newcomers who were contributing to the city were also victimized by criminals who saw them as “walking ATMs,” Kica Matos recalls.
So Matos and other city officials introduced an immigrant-friendly ID card aimed at helping immigrants open bank accounts, borrow library books, generally establish residency so they could function productively and safely in town.
Matos and other activists and officials recall that time, and the backlash that followed, in a new video called The Sanctuary City That ICE Created. Local videographer Travis Carbonella made it along with Win Vitkowsky. You can watch it at the top of this story. John Lugo and Father Jim Manship are among the other key players in the video, which includes footage from the time as well.
“Greenwich, Connecticut — you want to use the beach, they gave you a beach card. That’s all we’re doing here: who lives here and where they are,” former Mayor John DeStefano recalls in the video.
Opponents of undocumented immigrants saw the card as more of a threat. Agents from the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) swept into the Fair Haven neighborhood, arresting 32 immigrants and sowing panic. Some immigration foes from the suburbs staged demonstrations against the cards; DeStefano and others appeared in national media interviews about the controversy.
Since then New Haven became one of what became a wave of “sanctuary cities” offering immigrants a haven — and, in at least 15 cities, ID cards. Meanwhile, a new president elected on a an anti-immigration platform has unleashed ICE agents to conduct the kind of broad round-ups like the 2007 one in Fair Haven. The story continues, with New Haven playing its part.
This propaganda video should be viewed with a jaded eye. The claims in particular of "human ATMs" is a gross exaggeration as is the Elm City ID card being a solution to anything related to illegal immigrant residents. Before the card, they could access the library, banks and parks. After the card, they could too. This is self serving and predictable. This is also weeks old news.
[Ed.: http://www.newhavenindependent.org/archives/2006/10/immigrants_wake.php
http://www.newhavenindependent.org/index.php/archives/entry/trotman_gets_the_story/ ]