New Haven mayor offers a common sense proposal to a complex problem

Finally, somsone proposes a plan which addresses illigeal immigration that makes common sense. This is the type of leadership that is lacking in areas like Danbury and hopefully that mayor is paying attention to how John DeStefano is dealing with the issue in New Haven.

From the New Haven Register

Mayor John DeStefano Jr. wants to give illegal immigrants a legitimate form of ID so they can open bank accounts, prove their identity to police and access social services.

"Let’s be real about why this is happening first of all," said the mayor, who is also a gubernatorial candidate, during a bilingual press conference in City Hall. "The failure of the federal government to recognize and embrace thousands and thousands of hard-working residents, is subjecting those people and their families to abuse and exploitation," he said.

New Haven is home to some 25,000 Latinos, almost half of which are undocumented immigrants from Central and South America.

"All of these people are hard-working, decent members of our society on which we depend everyday," DeStefano said. "We can do better by them and we have to make up some of it as we go along."

Of course the Connecticut Citizens for Immigration Control aren't too happy about DeStefano's proposal.

"Does anybody in New Haven understand that they are breaking the immigration law?" said Elise Marciano, Danbury chapter president of the Connecticut Citizens for Immigration Control (CTCIC).

"You are not supposed to aid and abet illegal aliens," Marciano added. "They have no documents. They could give you any name. They could go and get 15 different ID cards with different names. How would you know?"

[...]

DeStefano has dismissed calls by anti-immigrant groups to crack down on illegals living in New Haven, and on Monday, Ortiz reiterated the administration’s position.

"We are going to lead the discussion and policy-making on how police will enforce immigration, I promise you that," Ortiz said.

Ignoring the talking points of hate groups like the CTCIC and using common sense to address the issue is a big step in the right direction in addressing the real issues with illegal immigration. This is the type of leadership that is lacking seriously lacking in Danbury where you have a mayor who would rather waste tax dollars by using the State Police to go after undocumented immigrants.