Immigration agents arrested 29 illegal immigrants in New Haven on Wednesday, two days after the city OKed a new program to give municipal ID cards to illegals. The Mayor was skeptical of the timing, suggesting the feds targeted the city politically. "There are in America 11,000 cities, towns and villages," he pointed out, "and within 36 hours the response is in New Haven."
The feds say the operations were "routine," and that the immigrants rounded up would likely be deported. Supporters of the ID program, which passed the Board of Aldermen 25-1 on Monday, said it would help protect New Haven's 15,000 illegal immigrants from robbery by giving them access to bank accounts. (More immigration stories.)