San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom has delayed a program to offer identification cards to all city residents regardless of their immigration status as city officials review the sanctuary policy for illegal immigrants, reports the city’s Chronicle. The mayor last month ordered City Administrator Ed Lee to suspend the ID card program in a letter released by the mayor’s office Wednesday. That letter called for putting the program on hold “until a thorough review has been completed to ensure that every aspect of the program complies with all applicable state and federal laws.”
The review of the city’s sanctuary policies comes in response to a series of Chronicle articles explaining how the city regularly shielded young illegal immigrants from federal deportation after they were found guilty of felony crimes. That practice has since been stopped. The city clerk was to begin issuing the ID cards sometime in late October or early November, but Newsom said it will not go forward “until all of these things are resolved.” As planned, the card would be available to anyone who can prove he or she has lived in the city at least 15 days, along with proof of identity. It will be accepted as identification by city departments, including the police, and by any agency that receives city funding.
Link: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/09/04/BASI12NG90.DTL&hw=ID+cards&sn=0