EXPANSION, PROTECTION FOR MUNICIPAL ID
City will only request ‘ minimal information,’ won’t retain copies
Mayor Rahm Emanuel and City Clerk Anna Valencia are expanding the reach of Chicago’s municipal identification program and taking steps to prevent that sensitive information from being used against undocumented immigrants.
When Emanuel appointed Valencia to replace Susana Mendoza, his marching orders were to speed up the one- year timetable for implementing the municipal ID that will allow undocumented immigrants to access city services and expand the reach of that new ID.
At a time when undocumented immigrants are living in fear of mass deportations by President Donald Trump, Emanuel also wanted the new city clerk to ease concerns that personal information required to qualify for a municipal ID may somehow find itself in the hands of the U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The ordinance that Emanuel and Valencia plan to jointly introduce at Wednesday’s City Council meeting is tailor- made to accomplish both of those goals.
To protect confidentiality, the city will ask for “minimal information” and will not ask applicants about their immigration status. Nor will the city retain copies of applicants’ personal information.
“It’s going to capture just the name and the date of birth. It’s not going to capture an address,” said a source familiar with the program who asked to remain anonymous to avoid upstaging the mayor and the clerk.
“Applicants will also be able to self- designate their gender, which will be huge to the transgender and LGBTQ community. And it’s not just for undocumented individuals. It’s for people with disabilities and people who are homeless or victims of domestic violence” who will be able to designate an alternative address.
The bare- bones approach outlined in the ordinance follows San Francisco’s lead and avoids the problems that accompanied New York City’s version of a municipal ID, the source said.
“In the San Francisco model, applicants bring in the documents to prove someone’s identity. They hand them over to specially trained individuals who can review the documents and then hand them back,” the source said. “In New York right now, they are retaining the address. We’re not going to retain any of that information that’s handed to us regarding the address.”
The next step is to issue a request for proposal for the security- laced technology portion of the program and identify ancillary benefits that might be tied a municipal ID. Those benefits may include access to banks, cultural institutions and pharmacies that offer discounts.
The mayor’s 2017 budget allocated $ 1 million for the municipal ID program, with a goal of issuing the first IDs before the end of this year.
“At a time when many communities are experiencing setbacks or attacks on their rights, the Chicago Municipal ID program is an initiative where cities can lead by example in reducing barriers, increasing access to opportunities and empowering residents,” Valencia was quoted in a press release.
Emanuel added, “An individual’s background should never be a barrier to participating in the economic, social or cultural life of Chicago. With this program we ensure that all Chicago residents have the identification they need to access vital services.”
At Valencia’s City Council confirmation hearing, Ald. Ameya Pawar ( 47th) warned the new clerk that the municipal ID initiative puts her on the political hot seat.
“There’s gonna be a national spotlight on what Chicago does, especially as it relates to how we collect the information, what we do with it and how we protect our most vulnerable neighbors,” Pawar said.
Ald. John Arena ( 45th) urged Valencia to make the municipal ID a “useful tool and not just a card in awallet.”