Cincinnati City Council today passed a resolution recognizing coming alternate photo ID cards supplied by a group of social service organizations for the homeless, undocumented immigrants, those recently returning from incarceration and others who face challenges getting standard state IDs.
Many in the faith and social service communities cheered the move, though some city officials and residents expressed concerns, mostly related to undocumented immigrants.
The IDs, which will be funded by the Metropolitan Area Religious Coalition of Cincinnati and issued by Catholic Charities of Southwest Ohio, aim to give individuals without state IDs a level of dignity while guaranteeing they will be quickly served by first responders, police and other city personnel. MARCC represents 17 religious denominations active in Cincinnati.
Ronnie Phillips, who is a Streetvibes vendor and Cincinnati resident, says the new ID would be vital to daily life for those who don’t have state ID. Phillips said the cards could be a stepping stone toward getting jobs or housing for those who don’t have government-issued ID cards.
Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless Executive Director Josh Spring calls the cards “a first step” toward that larger goal.
The IDs won’t be a replacement for state IDs when it comes to applying for jobs and housing, where federal regulations require government identification. However, city officials including Mayor John Cranley and Democrats on Council hope the cards will still help those without other government IDs, especially when interacting with emergency personnel.
“This resolution is important because our police know that when individual victims fail to report crime, it emboldens criminals to act again without consequence,” Mayor John Cranley said at a news conference before Council’s vote. “Vulnerable citizens, returning citizens, non-driving senior citizens and others who lack the ability to obtain a state-issued ID are often reluctant to report crimes, even when they’ve been victimized personally. Having an ID that will encourage people to report crimes will make our city safer.”
Cranley says the Cincinnati Police Department has been involved in the months-long effort to set up the ID program and has agreed to recognize the MARCC IDs.
The card will cost $15 and be good for a year at a time. Programs will be available to help provide the cards to those who cannot afford the fee.
“The MARCC ID may seem like a little thing if you already have an ID,” said Catholic Charities CEO Ted Berg. “If you don’t have an ID, it’s a way to protect the human rights of the most vulnerable and a way to give someone something that identifies them as part of the community.”
Berg says immigrants fleeing violence in Central America, including many women and children, desperately need measures to keep them safer.
“The need for this is significant. It doesn’t give [legal] status to anyone,” said Kurt Grossman, Immigration Chair for the American Jewish Committee of Cincinnati. Grossman is also a member of Mayor Cranley’s Immigration Taskforce, which generated the ID concept. “The city doesn’t have the authority to do that – that’s a matter of federal law — but it does bring dignity and safety to a broad spectrum of our community.”
Some on Council balked at voting for the resolution, instead abstaining over what they said were lingering questions about the ID program.
Councilman Kevin Flynn said he had reservations because he thought the program created the perception that the cards would solve problems they couldn’t actually tackle, including the need for ID when applying for jobs and housing. Flynn said he supported the idea in theory, but joined fellow council members Amy Murray, Charlie Winburn and Christopher Smitherman in abstaining from the vote on the resolution.
Murray said she liked the general idea of the IDs, but was concerned about the vetting process involved in issuing them and what forms of foreign ID would be accepted for undocumented individuals seeking the IDs.
Many crowded into Council chambers to speak about the program. Most expressed support, but some pushed back, citing opposition to undocumented immigrants.
“I understand Cincinnati wants to be a welcoming city. But there is a legal way for people to get an ID,” said Richard Hahn, who spoke before Council against the resolution. “It’s the Ohio state ID. In the case of an illegal alien or undocumented immigrant, it is against federal law to aid them in this way. What’s to prevent one from obtaining the ID document under different names? Ricardo one day, maybe Jose the next.”
Officials from Catholic Charities say the vetting process for the IDs for undocumented people will include reviewing identification information from other countries, including passports, driver’s licenses and consular IDs. Catholic Charities officials say they expect to issue between 2,000 and 3,000 cards in the program’s first year.
This article appears in May 4-11, 2016.