The New Orleans City Council agreed Thursday to create a municipal identification programaligning New Orleans with cities across the country that offer government ID to residents who need or want one.

The council unanimously approved Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s push to create ID cards, which would be offered to all residents but are intended to help people who cannot easily obtain a state ID, such as homeless residents, immigrants or formerly incarcerated people.

Although Louisiana requires ID applicants to submit birth certificates, passports or immigration documents, New Orleans’ goal is to be more flexible in its requirements. But what will be needed to get the cards will be sorted out in the coming months by Cantrell’s administration, which plans to hire a manager to manage the ID program.

Cantrell, who has advocated for municipal ID cards for years, said in a statement that the cards would ensure that “no one in our city is left behind due to lack of ID.”

“It is a key to city services that improve the quality of life, providing access to opportunities and helping people connect with their community, regardless of race, socioeconomic background or identity,” said the mayor.

City Council President Helena Moreno emphasized that when the program goes online, the maps will be available to all residents.

“We want everyone in town to come and get one of these ID cards,” she said.

Many uses

Advocates say such programs are needed to eliminate barriers some residents face when trying to rent an apartment, open a bank account or complete other routine tasks that require identification issued by the government.

“It shows not only compassion, but just a fundamental entry point,” said Mary Moran, executive director of Our Voice Nuestra Voz. “We are becoming more welcoming and more inclusive. It took a few years.

City ID cards would facilitate access to housing, employment and community services, according to Cantrell’s administration. All municipal departments would accept municipal cards as valid proof of residence in the city.

Cantrell first pushed for IDs when she was on the council. In 2014, she wrote a resolution who launched the maps, among other measures, as a way to make the city more welcoming to immigrants.

Moreno, another longtime advocate for local ID cards, said she hopes the cards will eventually provide discounts at museums and other attractions, which could encourage more residents to sign up for them .

Residents, however, could not use the cards to register to vote, Moreno said, adding that she consulted with the Louisiana secretary of state’s office.

The ordinance ensures that municipal identification will be available to any person, regardless of their housing status, criminal record, national origin and several other personal circumstances.

A spokesperson for Cantrell said the finer details of how the program would work and exactly when it would begin would be decided later.

Other cities

New Orleans joins 42 cities across the country that have similar ID programs, according to a study by local nonprofit Our Voice Nuestra Voz.

New Haven, Connecticut, pioneered municipal ID cards in 2007 as a way to help immigrants access banking services and report crimes, according to the Center for Popular Democracy, a national advocacy organization. minorities and low-income people. Immigrants in this city had become frequent targets of theft because they were believed to be carrying cash, and they were often afraid to report crimes to the police, who could report them to immigration enforcement if necessary. they could not present identification documents.

New Haven’s program allows residents to provide a government-issued foreign-issued ID to prove their identity. They can prove their residency with utility or insurance bills, a bank statement, employment record or voter registration.

Other cities have looser guidelines, and San Francisco explicitly invites immigrants to apply. In this city, a letter from a hospital or social service agency is sufficient to prove residency.