Change to city's IDNYC policy sparks criticism

A change to the record policy of New York City's immigrant identification card program is causing controversy among some critics. The city says it will no longer keep personal records from future applicants

News 12 Staff

Dec 11, 2016, 3:45 AM

Updated 2,687 days ago

Share:

Change to city's IDNYC policy sparks criticism
A change to the record policy of New York City's immigrant identification card program is causing controversy among some critics.
The city says it will no longer keep personal records from future applicants to its IDNYC program as of January 2017.
Supporters say the change would prevent the data from becoming a deportation tool for a new Republican federal administration.
But not everyone supports the change. Republican state Assembly members Ron Castorina and Nicole Malliotakis are suing to stop the city from destroying more than 900,000 current cardholders' records - information they believe could trace cardholders if they commit crimes.
City officials say that no matter what happens in court, they want undocumented immigrants to feel at ease.
"We are standing with you," says Nisha Agarwal, of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs. "We are going to continue to be an inclusive and welcoming city and that we have so many resources, including for individuals who may be very anxious about what's happening."
The program is always accepting new applicants. They encourage anyone interested in applying for an ID card to contact IDNYC for more details.


More from News 12