Amid the crackdown on illegal aliens, one “sanctuary city” went ahead with a “terrible idea” to make it even easier to obtain a residency card.
While supporters were ecstatic about the mass deportation efforts of President Donald Trump’s administration, leaders in blue cities were less so, save perhaps New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D). Now, as he prepares to head to Capitol Hill for a hearing following his State of the City address Tuesday, a policy backed by his office just added 23 types of identification toward obtaining a residency card.
“It’s a terrible idea,” slammed New York Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R) to the New York Post. “To provide a legitimate government ID to individuals in the country illegally then gives them access to government buildings and services is just another incentive [to come here].”
“Most disturbing is that there is no vetting, no process to ensure documents provided to prove identity are not fake and, to boot, they destroy these documents that could be helpful in an investigation,” she added.
Among the documents now eligible for the IDNYC program that already supports over 100 types of identification, the City Council has approved documents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Federal Bureau of Prisons, and city departments.
Once obtained, the residency card allows access into public buildings and for services and programs in addition to other benefits that Center for Immigration Studies Director of Research Steven Camarota argued “creates a fig leaf of legitimacy so you can undermine federal immigration law.”
“The ID card is for people who are illegally in the country. It’s to make life more convenient for people who are illegally in the country,” he told the Post.
Instituted under then-NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio, Malliotakis previously sued his administration when she was an assemblywoman over the ability to destroy the documents being used to obtain the residency cards.
Gutsy NY Republican goes after de Blasio for sanctuary city stance, and she might be coming for his job https://t.co/fBi1GsGqGf pic.twitter.com/wB2G0sG6MI
— BPR (@BIZPACReview) April 22, 2017
Meanwhile, officials from the city downplayed any negative aspects of the program that has enrolled around 1.7 million people since its inception, including more than 132,000 IDs in 2024.
“Over the past several years, the Department of Social Services has worked with the New York City Council, key stakeholders, and advocates on their recommendations for updates to IDNYC- many of these changes are already in place,” a Department of Social Service representative told the Post.
“This rule change simply codifies local law changes that were enacted by the City Council in 2023 [Local Law 156], and recommendations to make it easier for more individuals — including taxi drivers, students applying for the Summer Youth Employment Program, and immigrants – to apply for IDNYC,” added the representative as a a public hearing was scheduled on the change for March 28.
In addition to Adams, who publicly stood by border czar Tom Homan’s efforts at mass deportations as the number of aliens under the city’s care dropped from around 69,000 to 45,000 and the Roosevelt Hotel would no longer be housing illegals, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu (D), Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston (D) were also slated to testify before the House Oversight Committee Wednesday.
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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