Our FOURTH Municipal ID!

We won our FOURTH municipal ID program in six months — and it’s in Beacon!

Municipal IDs are one of the most effective measures cities can implement to protect and empower undocumented people. Beacon joins Poughkeepsie, Middletown, and Kingston in unanimously voting to pass this critical protection.

This victory demonstrates the incredible power we’ve built over the past year. At the beginning of 2018, there was only one municipal ID program in all of New York State. Since then, we’ve grown that number to five with the power of the thousands of people who came to common council meetings, made public comments, and contributed their time, energy, and money.

Our municipal ID victories mark the beginning of something historic.

In 2019, we’ll work to make the Hudson Valley the first region in the country where cities cross-recognize each others’ IDs. People often live in different cities than they work or worship – and coordination will ensure that undocumented people can move with increased safety beyond the city in which they live.

Our municipal ID victories are also fuel for our fight to win driver’s licenses for all New Yorkers regardless of immigration status. The new legislative session starts in January, and winning licenses for all is more of a possibility in 2019 than it has ever been… but it remains an uphill battle. Winning will take thousands of us across the state participating in call-in days,  mobilizations, and meetings with our elected officials.

Winning our fourth municipal ID in six months shows our members, supporters, and those yet to join our struggle, that when we fight, we can win (and win again, again, and again!).

Thank you for building people power with us. We are so excited to see what we’ll make possible together in 2019 and beyond.

Until then, happy holidays!