While law-enforcement agencies may maintain policies to encourage undocumented immigrants to report crimes, basic police procedures, like requesting identification while taking a report, can be intimidating. Sometimes the language barrier proves insurmountable. The KPD has just one officer fluent in Spanish. Carlos said that he had once called the police following an incident at his home. He said he found the experience unnerving.
“The first thing they want is your ID,” said Carlos. “And if you don’t have any, they start looking at you like maybe you are the criminal.”
Earlier this year the Kingston-based non-profit legal services agency Worker Justice Center rolled out a new community identification program that executive director Milan Bhatt said was motivated in part by a spate of crimes against Latinos in Midtown. The community ID card is not a legal document. It does not confer any government benefits. But the card, supporters say, gives undocumented immigrants (and other groups like the elderly and the disabled who often lack ID) a way to identify themselves as city residents and connect with essential services, including the police.
The non-profit is also working with local banks to allow cardholders to open accounts (one reason, according to Bhatt, that many undocumented immigrants carry large sums of cash is that it can be difficult to obtain financial services without proper ID).
According to Bhatt, the group has issued dozens of Kingston community ID cards since the program started early this year with support from Mayor Shayne Gallo and KPD Chief Egidio Tinti. Bhatt said that recent immigrants make up just a small portion of community ID holders, something he hopes will change.
“It’s a way to connect people who may not otherwise be connected to these services,” said Bhatt. “It’s a way to give people a secure way to report crimes to the police.”
Some names in this story have been changed at the source’s request. Some quotes have been translated from Spanish. Carrie Jones Ross contributed significant reporting and translation services to this story.
