a day ago
Chicago City Clerk to stop accepting online applications for CityKey municipal ID program after receiving ICE subpoena for records
Chicago is pausing online applications for its municipal ID program, known as CityKey, after receiving a subpoena for records from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
"This was a tough decision as this program serves a number of vulnerable populations that rely on the accessibility of CityKey, and ultimately, that's also the reason I'm pausing our online platform," City Clerk Anna Valencia said in a statement. "Making decisions that protect people is vital during a time where the federal government is terrorizing its own people, and I'm going to keep speaking out and standing up for all Chicagoans."
The CityKey ID helps people who are undocumented or unhoused who might have problems getting or maintaining an ID card.
People can still apply for a CityKey ID in person by making an appointment online. The clerk's office said applications and documents used to validate and print CityKey IDs are returned to the applicant, meaning no online records are maintained of applications.
In addition to serving as a government ID card, CityKey also works as a Ventra card, library card, and prescription discount card.
The Chicago Tribune reported last week that ICE had subpoenaed the clerk's office for personal information of CityKey applicants.
Mayor Brandon Johnson's administration has vowed to fight the subpoena, and on Wednesday the mayor condemned the Trump administration's attempt to access applicants' records.
"It's bad," the mayor said. "It's wrong."
The City Council authorized the CityKey program in 2017, but it wasn't until December 2024 – after President Trump was elected to a second term – that the city began taking online applications for the ID. State law requires the city to retain records submitted online, so unlike with in-person applications, the city must keep records of online applications for the ID.
