New Orleans announces municipal ID card amid nationwide Ice crackdown
The municipal government of New Orleans launched the Crescent City ID program on Monday, which is 'designed to promote inclusion' in the city.
Vulnerable communities, including migrants, homeless people and others who may struggle to access identification cards can easily qualify for a municipal ID, which will allow them to have proof of identity and access some city services.
The initiative to launch the ID program comes from the New Orleans mayor's office of human rights and equity.
'The Municipal ID Program aims to provide all residents of the City of New Orleans with a secure and inclusive form of identification that enhances access to city services, supports the local economy, enhances the quality of life of its residents and fosters a sense of belonging in the community,' reads a February document from the city regarding the program.
Local news organization NOLA.com reports that the city's mayor, LaToya Cantrell, and city council vice-president Helena Moreno have promoted the program and its aim to help migrant communities.
It is unclear what the federal government's response to the program will be. The Trump administration has threatened to crack down on cities nationwide with 'sanctuary' policies, which are directives that may offer certain protections to undocumented people.
Last week, Trump's justice department filed a lawsuit against the city of New York for its sanctuary city policies, amid a broader trend of targeting such jurisdictions.
The administration has also sued Los Angeles, New York State, Colorado, the city of Rochester and other cities in New Jersey for their policies. After threats of a lawsuit from the Trump administration, the city of Louisville, Kentucky, ditched a sanctuary policy and reinstated the practice of collaborating with federal immigration authorities.
A federal court in Illinois, however, dealt a blow to the administration this week by throwing out the administration's lawsuit against the city of Chicago for its sanctuary policies.
The New Orleans city ID program was approved in November by the city council and has been championed and supported by immigrant rights organizations.
Mary Moran, the executive director of Our Voice Nuestra Voz, a local advocacy organization that promoted the program, told NOLA.com that, although it took some years for the program to pan out, they were 'really excited that the municipal ID is here and that folks will now have access to a safe and inclusive way of being able to identify themselves'.
The ID will also allow people to mark themselves on the card, according to the gender they identify with – a move seen as a positive step for the LGBTQ+ community.
The launch of New Orleans' program comes one month after Chicago stopped accepting applications for a similar municipal ID program, after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) subpoenaed records related to the program.
With those fears in mind, a New Orleans official said the office handling the ID applications will store as little information as possible to protect applicants.
Residents of the city can begin applying for the cards in early September, by bringing passports, birth certificates or other records to city officials.
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