The awakened majority of NYC Councils passed the law this week, making it easier for illegal immigrants to get free city-issued residency ID cards. [President] Playing cards. ”
The bill by Brooklyn Democrat Socialist Shahana Hanif requires the Ministry of Social Services to make IDNYC Photo-ID cards more accessible, including allowing walk-in reservations at designated centres in each borough and implementing an appeal process for rare cases where applicants are denied.
The council voted 39-7 on Wednesday in support of the measure.
Critics have denounced the bill as nothing more than a direct slap in Donald Trump's ongoing crackdown on criminal immigrants.
“In an age of rising immigrant crime and national security threats, it's reckless, and it seems like they're legislating against Trump rather than doing the right thing for New Yorkers,” said Councillor Robert Holden, D-Queens.
“Access to the IDNYC Act guarantees the dignity of all New Yorkers, particularly as federal policies target transgender, non-binary and immigrant communities,” Hanif said.
Illegal immigrants and others can view more than 120 types of IDs, including expired foreign passports, driver's licenses, or other papers to obtain IDNYC cards.
Applications are rarely rejected and demand is growing.
The city issued cards to 183,682 of the 200,922 applicants, or 91.4% – during the fiscal year ending June 30, according to the year. Mayor's Management Report Released in January.
From July to October, we issued an additional 64,265 cards, an increase of 14% from the same period last year.
The former Mayor de Blasio administration first provided the card in 2015, helping immigrants easily access free medical care at municipal hospitals, open bank accounts, sign leases and register with schools.
Since then, more than 2.3 million cards have been issued. The record will be displayed.
The IDNYC program “gets taxpayer-funded benefits” from “government-sanctioned fraud,” claimed minority leader Joanne Ariola (R-Queens).
“We need to encourage this program to be scrapped and undergo an appropriate, legitimate process of obtaining citizenship,” Ariola said.
