Public hearing set for Newburgh municipal ID program

Newburgh would be the fifth city in the area to adopt a city ID program, following the recent adoptions by Middletown, Beacon, Kingston and Poughkeepsie.Most of the program’s advocates have lobbied local governments over the benefits it can offer to undocumented immigrants, who often live in fear of being asked for identification and not being able to provide a quick photo ID card, like a driver’s license.

But the program could also lend a verifiable photo ID to other people who have difficulty obtaining a driver’s license, such as people who are homeless, elderly, children, according to Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson, a local social justice advocacy group.

The group’s Executive Director Jonathan Bix expects demand for Newburgh IDs to be higher than that of other nearby cities, such as Middletown, which issued 385 cards in the program’s first four days.