NYC Counsel To Introduce Bill On Municipal ID For Undocumented Immigrants

New York City’s counsel will introduce a bill this week which would allow residents of the city to apply for municipal ID cards valid as official identification for a host of services, including municipal libraries and banks, regardless of their immigration status. Capital New York reports that NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, who championed the idea during his first State of the City speech in February, voiced support for the bill, saying it would “bring dignity and peace of mind to many fellow residents currently living in the shadows."

The New York Post writes that the cards will feature the individual’s photo, name, date of birth, address and an expiration date in addition to “self-designated gender” – the latter a feature which would make it easier for transgendered people to identify as the gender of their choice. Applicants will have to provide proof of residency and identification in order to be eligible, according to the NY Daily News. It’s aimed primarily at the city’s estimated 500,000 undocumented immigrants and over 50,000 homeless people, though supporters of the bill say its appeal isn’t limited to them.

Lucia Gomez, executive director of organized-labor and immigrant-rights project La Fuente, told Capital New York, "The purpose of this is so that people have something official that says, 'I'm a New Yorker, and I can use these kinds of facilities, walk down the street and be able to have a form of identification that says who I am.’” She added, "This is not the undocumented card. This is the New York City municipal ID card. Any New Yorker can have it, not just undocumented or immigrant communities."