Elizabeth municipal ID ordinance

Elizabeth residents associated with immigrant rights group Make the Road New Jersey celebrate the city council's vote in support of creating a municipal identification program. 10/25/2016 (Courtesy of Sara Cullinane)

ELIZABETH -- Elizabeth could soon become the latest New Jersey municipality to offer local identification cards to unauthorized immigrants, homeless people and others.

An ordinance to make photo ID cards available to people who may not have any other form of identification was approved on first reading Tuesday, and a final vote is expected next month.

"The ID campaign came out of their experience of facing real barriers to accessing everyday services, from picking your kid up from school and being required to present ID, to filling a prescription, to making a return at a store," said Sara Cullinane, state director of immigrant rights group Make the Road New Jersey.

The seven city council members at Tuesday's meeting voted unanimously to approve the ordinance in front of a packed council chambers. Councilwoman-at-large Patricia Perkins-Auguste and Councilman William Gallman, Jr., were absent.

The photo ID cards will include a person's name, date of birth, address and an expiration date. Cardholders must be 14 or older.

A provision of the ordinance stipulates that transgender and gender non-conforming people will be able to designate a gender, regardless of their biological sex or gender designation on previous identity documents.

City agencies and police, as well as some businesses and banks, will recognize the municipal IDs, which will double as library cards. To encourage all residents to obtain the IDs, certain businesses will offer discounts with use of the card.

Elizabeth residents will be able to use the cards to identify themselves during traffic stops, apply for charity services or get care at a hospital.

Cullinane said an identification card is not a cure-all. It is not a federal ID, which comes with certain benefits, like access to air travel. It does not grant legal residency or work authorization.

"It has limited uses within the city, but even with those limitations, it would be a huge win for so many marginalized communities in Elizabeth," Cullinane said.

Municipal IDs are easier to obtain than federal IDs, which have stricter requirements for documentation. The city will obligate municipal card applicants to prove their identities and residency in Elizabeth, but it will recognize a broader range of documents, like letters from social service agencies.

Council president Nelson Gonzalez said after the meeting that he started trying to create an ID program when he took office in January. He expects the city will start issuing the cards in December, after the council holds a second and final vote on the ordinance Nov. 9.

Gonzalez predicts between 4,000 and 5,000 Elizabeth residents will apply for municipal IDs in the program's first year.

Almost half of Elizabeth's residents are foreign-born, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

For Gloria Velez, who moved from Mexico to Elizabeth 16 years ago, the card will be a key to accomplishing everyday tasks, like entering public buildings or opening a bank account. Having a municipal ID will also make her status as an immigrant less obvious, she said.

"I would feel stronger, I would feel more sure of myself," Velez said. "I would feel safe going out and showing my ID, knowing that people wouldn't discriminate against me."

The cards, which will be distributed through the city's public library, will carry a $15 fee for adults and a $7 fee for children. Fee waivers are available for people who cannot afford the cost.

Some groups and politicians have voiced concerns about municipal ID programs. When New York City announced its ID program in early 2015, state Sen. Terrence Murphy told The Yorktown Daily Voice that such initiatives were "incentivizing lawbreaking."

Municipalities across New Jersey have distributed about 10,000 of these ID cards since Newark became the first to offer them in August 2015, according to the New Jersey Alliance for Immigrant Justice. Since then, Roselle, Perth Amboy and Dover have also begun to provide ID cards.

Other municipalities, including Trenton, Princeton and Asbury Park, endorse similar municipal ID programs that are administered by community organizations.

New Jersey has more municipal ID programs than any other state, according to the American Civil Liberties Union. Several major cities, including New York City, Los Angeles and New Haven, Conn., provide the cards.

Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati. Find NJ.com on Facebook.