In New Jersey, Mercer County Finds Success With Community ID Card Program

Controversial Mercer County Community ID program is deemed a success. (Trenton Times, 4/23/2011)

Excerpt:    The Community ID could be a “precursor to the legalization process,” Juega added.

Open to any Mercer County resident, the Community ID program also make it easier for illegal immigrants to access social service agencies, libraries, clinics and other community service providers. It is accepted by the Mercer County Sheriff’s Office and several municipal police departments as proof of identification, though it is not an official form of government ID.

The program, organized by Princeton-based LALDEF, expanded to include Princeton Borough and Princeton Township last May. Three-thousand area residents have registered for the card, and the earliest cardholders are now renewing their IDs.

In response to high demand within communities and positive reaction from local law enforcement, LALDEF is expanding the program throughout Mercer County. Local officials have already begun issuing cards in Lawrenceville and plan to begin distributing cards in Hightstown soon.