San Francisco Advances Plan To Give Illegal Aliens Id Cards
An ordinance that would firmly entrench San Francisco as a sanctuary city moved forward this week when the San Francisco Board of Supervisors held a hearing on a plan to issue municipal identity cards to illegal aliens. At the hearing in City Hall, San Francisco Supervisor Tom Ammiano revealed more details about the proposal, introduced in September, which he claimed would protect illegal immigrants from crime and ensure their safe treatment.
The ordinance would allow the City of San Francisco to issue identification cards to any illegal alien who presents an identity document — such as a foreign birth certificate — and proof of residence. The identity card would allow the illegal alien to obtain local welfare assistance, use public libraries, and register for San Francisco's recently-enacted health care program. The ordinance also requires any nonprofit or business that obtains funds from the City of San Francisco to accept the card for identification purposes. During the hearing, the Board adopted an amendment to the proposed ordinance that permits police to request additional proof identity during a criminal investigation.
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, questions still remain about how much the program will cost. The county clerk's office conducted a cost study of the municipal Identification card ordinance based on statistics from New Haven, CT—the only other city to issue municipal identification cards to illegal aliens. The study estimated that San Francisco taxpayers would need to fund 13 new employees to start the program - at a cost of between $423,000 and $1.1 million annually. The cost estimates are based on the assumption that 93,208 people - or 12 percent of San Francisco's population - will apply for the municipal cards each year. (San Francisco Chronicle, Oct. 25, 2007).
Tom Fitton of Judicial Watch criticized San Francisco's decision to issue ID cards to illegal aliens. The cards, he said, "raise the specter of local governments conspiring with illegals to help them stay here. In the least, they undermine federal law and at worst, they violate the law." (USA Today, October 4, 2007). Unfortunately, the threat that U.S. cities will disregard federal enforcement measures and pursue their own immigration policies continues. Councilman Hiram Monserrate in New York and Bruno Barreiro, chairman of the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners, are crafting proposals to offer identity cards to illegal aliens in their cities. (USA Today, October 4, 2007).
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Originally Posted by 9999
