Brooklyn Conservatives oppose plan for municipal ID cards
But City Council moving forward on Menchaca bill
The City Council is moving forward with a history-making bill co-sponsored by Councilman Carlos Menchaca (D-Sunset Park-Red Hook) that would create the largest municipal ID card program in the nation after hearings took place on April 30.
But the Brooklyn Conservative Party is voicing strong objections to the plan to allow all New Yorkers, even undocumented immigrants, to obtain identification cards that they could use to open bank accounts, enter public buildings and access city services. The Conservatives argued that the cards are “unnecessary” and could lead to a future scenario in which non-citizens are permitted to vote in municipal elections.
Menchaca and the bill’s supporters said the goal of the legislation is to give New Yorkers who might otherwise have difficulty getting a photo ID through usual means the opportunity to obtain cards. Menchaca, a freshman councilman, is chairman of the Committee on Immigration.
Under the bill, co-sponsored by Menchaca and Councilman Daniel Dromm (D-Jackson Heights-Elmhurst), applicants would be able to use a US or foreign passport, a US or foreign birth certificate, a driver’s license or other kinds of documentation to help establish residency in order to obtain the municipal ID and obtain the city ID.