INS Replaces Immigrant’s Stolen ID

A San Pedro man who lost his identity papers to a thief and could not get a job while he waited for new papers saw his prospects improve Thursday after federal immigration officials provided him with a temporary alien identification card.

Tony Vella, 37, a Maltese immigrant who has lived in the United States as a resident for 36 years, was given a temporary green card at the Immigration and Naturalization Service’s Los Angeles office.

Ernest Gustafson, the agency’s district director, said immigration service workers had tracked down Vella’s files to an immigration service office in Detroit, where he lived until moving to Los Angeles eight years ago. Now that Vella’s immigration file has been verified, he is eligible for a new green card to replace the one that was stolen at Redondo Beach a month ago.

“We’re glad that his problems are cleared up, and we wish him well,” Gustafson said.

Vella, who served with the U.S. infantry in Vietnam, said he was also helped by Rep. Daniel E. Lungren (R-Long Beach) and by Maltese consular officials in Los Angeles. Despite his lack of identity papers, Vella said he even has a possible job offer from a tile salesman.