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More than 100,000 New Yorkers have enrolled in the city’s municipal identification program, which launched four months ago to much fanfare from immigrant-rights advocates, and 83% of that number have actually received their cards, according to a report submitted Thursday by Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration.
Since its launch in January, the city has made 353,861 appointments with residents to obtain ID cards; 101,063 New Yorkers have had their applications processed by the city, and 83,285 have actually received their municipal ID cards. Of those still waiting to get their cards, 90,000 have been approved, with 7,000 cards “slated for imminent printing.”
Only two instances of fraud were detected by the city, both involving individuals attempting to obtain an ID card using a different person’s identification records. Both applications were denied.
The city lists a group of credit unions and banks that have agreed to accept the card as proof of identity for the purposes of opening a bank account: Amalgamated Bank, Bethex Federal Credit Union, Brooklyn Cooperative Federal Credit Union, Carver Federal Savings Bank, Lower East Side People’s Federal Credit Union, Melrose Credit Union, Municipal Credit Union, Neighborhood Trust Federal Credit Union, Popular Community Bank, Spring Bank, University Settlement Federal Credit Union and Urban Upbound Federal Credit Union.
Missing from the list are any major banks or financial institutions, likely because global firms like JPMorgan Chase and Citi Group, for example, find it difficult to make time for local initiatives such as the municipal ID program. But there have been no reports of any of these banks rejecting an ID holder from opening an account, the mayor’s office said. In fact, some individual employees at major banks have accepted the new IDs as sufficient proof of identity to do business, a spokeswoman for the mayor said.
“The city continues to work closely with federal regulators to ensure that all financial institutions accept the IDNYC card for purposes of opening a banking account in the near future,” the report says.
Some civil liberties groups have highlighted concerns about the retention of documents by city agencies, especially concerning undocumented immigrants and other vulnerable communities. In its report, the city says no documents were requested by agencies unaffiliated with the ID program, nor shared by agencies affiliated with the program.
“Privacy and security of applicant data are foremost priorities for the IDNYC program,” the report states.
Because of high demand, the city has moved to triple enrollment capabilities, with additional expansion planned for the coming weeks, the report states. New enrollment centers will open soon in the South Bronx and Brooklyn’s Coney Island, while the center in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, will expand. Additional pop-up enrollment centers will open as well.
Of the 101,063 enrollees, 34,616 are from Queens, 30,805 from Brooklyn, 17,153 from the Bronx, 14,976 from Manhattan and 3,513 from Staten Island. A little under 2% of the total number of people who have received ID cards, or 1,401, are minors under the age of 17.
Discounts, free memberships at cultural institutions and other perks continue to be offered by the ID program to entice wider participation by citizens and documented immigrants. Thirty-three museums, galleries, zoos and other institutions are offering free one-year memberships to anyone signed up before Dec. 31. Discounts at Broadway theaters, supermarkets and pharmacies are also under works.
