City council adopts municipal IDs

By KATELYN CORDERO
Posted 4/17/19

The City of Newburgh Activity Center was packed from wall the wall with community members lining up at the microphone to speak in support of Municipal IDs. Many residents shared feelings of …

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City council adopts municipal IDs

Posted

The City of Newburgh Activity Center was packed from wall the wall with community members lining up at the microphone to speak in support of Municipal IDs. Many residents shared feelings of isolation, and neglect by a government they have paid into but no documented link to.

Through a unanimous vote to pass a local law on municipal IDs the city council gave undocumented residents the acknowledgment they asked for. Some members of the community cried tears of joy as the council voted yes one after another.

A special moment took place following the vote as an emotional Erendira Lezema ran to Mayor Torrance Harvey embracing him and thanking him for the IDs.

Ignacio Acevedo, Lead organizer of Nobody Leaves Mid Hudson was proud to be apart of this special moment.

“I’m excited the day is here as you guys know we are all excited and I know there are a lot of us walking around here thinking what is going to happen tomorrow,” said Acevedo. “This shows us show us that our city is giving us the space to have comfort and security in our community. We are taking a big step as residents of Newburgh. We are here and we are here to make a big difference and for you to know that we exist.”

Acevedo told the story of a friend who went to pick up his son from school, yet because he didn’t have an ID he had to leave the school without his son. Other’s spoke about not being able to open a bank account, or being fearful to go to the doctor because of their lack of identification.

“These are things that being an American citizen we take for granted. We can get our drivers licenses and open a bank account. This is not a want, this is a need,” said Joe Alvarez, founder of We Are Newburgh. “This is about giving the people in our city the opportunity to feel worthy and to believe in themselves. If you’re going to come here and say that you are working and trying to make this community great then you have to give them the opportunity to be a part of this community to be accepted, received, welcomed and cherished, just like anybody else in here that has the right to vote.”

The draft local law includes an application fee to cover the costs of the ID cards. Adults will pay $10, children under 18 and seniors over 62 will pay $5.00. There will also be a $5.00 renewal and replacement or change of information fee.

The local law will go into effect on September 4, 2019. The city will take some time to prepare for the high demand anticipated. Corporate Counsel, Michelle Kelson wants to ensure that an already vulnerable population is not put at risk when coming out to get their ID cards, as seen in Middletown when an undocumented immigrant was chased down by ICE in the courthouse.

The next step in this fight for undocumented immigrants is driver’s licenses for all. Nobody Leaves Mid Hudson is lobbying to have driver’s licenses for all in New York State.