L.A. to consider multi-use library cards for illegal immigrants

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edited September 2012 in The Social Lounge

By Catherine Saillant, Los Angeles Times
September 11, 2012

Los Angeles officials are considering a plan to turn the library card into a form of identification that the city's large illegal immigrant population could use to open bank accounts and access an array of city services.

The City Council unanimously voted recently to consider the proposal, which would have Los Angeles join the growing number of cities across the nation that offer various forms of identification to undocumented workers and others who cannot get driver's licenses because of their immigration status.

Though L.A.'s plan would not be as sweeping as those adopted by cities like San Francisco, Oakland and Richmond, it would be a major step in serving the estimated 300,000 residents who don't have bank accounts or debit cards.

The ID card would include a user's name, address and a photograph, and would be issued through the city's libraries. The city would partner with a private vendor to set up bank accounts for those who want to use the library ID as a debit card. Banks generally require official identification to open an account.

But anyone able to provide proof of L.A. residency would be eligible for the library card, said Councilman Richard Alarcon, who proposed the concept.

The cards would not be a substitute for driver's licenses and would not provide any protection from deportation by federal immigration authorities. And they would come with a cost. Applicants would pay a fee, around $15 to $20, for the card, and then would be able to deposit and withdraw money through a network of ATMs at local grocery stores and shopping malls. There could also be a monthly fee of up to $2.99. L.A.'s proposed card would not go as far as programs in other cities.

The cards will cost $15 and may include a monthly fee of $1.99, said Arturo Sanchez, a deputy city administrator. The contract pays for itself, he said. With a population of 400,000, Oakland sees its ID card as a way of helping undocumented immigrants in dealing with police, not just banks, Sanchez said.
A 2010 Pew Health Group report estimated that 300,000 people in Los Angeles don't have a bank account. Nearly 70% are foreign born, earn between $10,000 and $15,000 a year and have been in the United States, on average, about 14 years.

Gustavo Martin, 32, a Pacoima mechanic, said he would be interested. On payday, he goes to Bronco Check Cashing in Pacoima, its bright-yellow, hand-painted sign drawing neighborhood workers who like its convenience. He pays $5.50 in fees to cash his $317 weekly salary, he said.

"It's safe, then OK," he said, his faded jeans smeared with grease. Then he smiled broadly: "My son likes 'Harry Potter.'"
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