[3] Illegal immigration, especially from Mexico and other Latin American countries, has been a controversial political issue in the US for many years.
[6] Municipal ID cards were first proposed in 2005, as the result of a study conducted by Unidad Latina en Accion (ULA) a New Haven-based grassroots social justice organization.
[10][11] In December 2007, 6 months after the plan was approved, federal agents from the Department of Health and Human Services raided the offices of the Community Action Agency of New Haven with a warrant for all documents from 2003 onward.
[5] The Southern Connecticut Citizens for Immigration Reform have also criticized the plan as hurting New Haven's workers who are legal residents.
[14] In early 2008, opponents filed a Freedom of Information request to make public the names, addresses and photos of everyone who has an ID card.