New York. Los Angeles. Aventura, Miami-Dade?
The county may soon be joining a dozen cities and counties around the country that offer residents a local ID to help them access public services.
Commissioner Juan C. Zapata sponsored a resolution to study the feasibility and benefits of a county ID, and to develop a plan for adoption within 180 days. The resolution was approved in committee last week and could head to the Board of County Commissioners for a vote as early as Tuesday.
RosanaAraujois an undocumented immigrant from Uruguay. She is also vice-president of the Miami Workers Center, which has been leading the campaign for a county ID since 2010. She says the ID would have many benefits.
“The first thing it does is it makes you visible,” she says. “It takes you out of the shadows. Then, what you can do is open a bank account. You can register at public schools. If you need to go to the hospital, you have access to health. You can go to libraries.”
There are other, less material benefits as well, says Araujo, like improved public safety. Many immigrants don’t report crimes to the police for fear of being asked for ID and subsequently detained and deported. A county ID, on the other hand, would enable individuals to establish their identity when interacting with law enforcement.
A county ID would be available to all Miami-Dade residents, but would likely most benefit vulnerable groups like undocumented immigrants, the homeless, the formerly incarcerated, and the elderly.
New Haven, Connecticut, was the first city in the U.S. to establish a municipal ID program, in 2007. It has since been joined by a number of cities in California, New Jersey, New York, and Washington, D.C.
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