On July 24, 2007, the city of New Haven, Connecticut became the first in the US to implement a law offering ID cards to undocumented immigrants. The controversial law allowed illegal immigrants of all ages to purchase identification cards that are indistinguishable from full citizens and allowed cardholders to access public libraries, parks, and other municipal services. Citizens of New Haven also filed a lawsuit in 2009 against several US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials over raids which were conducted in the city 36 hours after the identification law went into effect.

Learn more about the laws governing immigration in the US from the JURIST news archive.