Just as she did five years ago, Migdalia Castro stepped into a City Hall office Tuesday, plunked down $10, and walked out with a new Elm City Resident Card.
Castro, a Fair haven alderwoman, renewed her ID Tuesday as the city officially recognized five years of issuing the immigrant-friendly cards.
When the city started the then-controversial program on July 24, 2007, Castro was fifth in line to get hers, she said. Hers was one of the first cards to expire this week.
Each Elm City Resident Card shows the bearer’s photo, name, address, and date of birth. The city began issuing them five years ago as a way of protecting and embracing a growing immigrant community, including undocumented immigrants.
At the time, muggers were preying on immigrants who, without any kind of local ID, had difficulty opening bank accounts and thus were in the habit of carrying large amounts of cash on their person. The Elm City Resident Card program — the first of its kind in the country — was designed to provide IDs to people like undocumented workers who might otherwise have none.
The card is designed to help people open bank accounts and access city services, including library memberships. The city has issued over 10,000 Elm City Resident Cards in the last five years, according to Mayor John DeStefano (pictured).
The mayor marked the ID card’s birthday Tuesday with a press conference in the first-floor atrium of City Hall. He recalled looking out his second-floor office window at 6:30 a.m. five years ago and seeing a line of people snaking down the block, waiting to get their Elm City Resident Card. Anti-immigrant activists were filming each person as they entered City Hall.
DeStefano spoke about the sense of community that the card helps to create. “The Elm City Resident Card gave everyone a name and a place in this city.”
Assistant Police Chief Luiz Casanova (pictured), who was the district manager in immigrant-filled Fair Haven when the card was rolled out, spoke about the positive effect the ID card has had on policing. Immigrants are less afraid to report crimes and to speak about crimes, he said. The card has helped to build trust and respect between immigrants and cops, he said.
Also speaking at the press conference were Ana Maria Rivera from the Latino-advocacy group Junta, Lynn Smith of START Bank, Matt O’Connor (pictured) of the SEIU 32BJ janitors union, and Alderwoman Castro.
Following the remarks, Mayor DeStefano stepped into the office of vital statistics and renewed his ID card. So did Alderwoman Castro.
Commemoration of the ID card’s fifth anniversary continues this week with a panel discussion at the main library branch beginning at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, and special discounts for cardholders at several city restaurants. A photo exhibit about the card is on display in City Hall. The city will mark Peruvian independence day with an event on the Green on Saturday at noon. Click here for full details about the week’s celebrations.