Minneapolis, MN – Immigrant rights activists celebrated as the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously, at their final meeting of the year, December 7 to create a new Minneapolis Municipal ID.

The immigrant rights movement has led the push for creating municipal identification cards in cities around the country, especially within states where immigrants are excluded from obtaining drivers licenses or other official government identification. Minneapolis will be the second city in Minnesota to create a Municipal ID, following Northfield. Other than being useful for immigrants, Municipal IDs are also generally supported by and seen as beneficial to transgender and gender non-binary people, by people with housing instability, and by people too young to get other forms of identification. They often include benefits that are broadly appealing including discounts to cooperating businesses and institutions as well as reciprocal use as a bank card, and for public services such as libraries and public transportation. Many such features are in the works for the Minneapolis Municipal ID, according to speakers at a press conference immediately preceding the City Council meeting.

At the press conference, community activists Victor Ramírez-Juárez of the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), Jovita Morales of the Minnesota Immigrant Movement (MIM) and Roxy Anderson of the Minnesota Transgender Health Coalition spoke about the importance of a Municipal ID to their communities. They spoke along with Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, city council members Alondra Cano, Cam Gordon, Lisa Bender and Philippe Cunningham and leaders of public and private institutions that have pledged to add features to the Municipal ID to make it broadly appealing and successful.

At the press conference, Jovita Morales talked about the grassroots efforts of the immigrant women’s group Mujeres en Liderazgo that started the movement for a Minneapolis Municipal ID a decade ago, and the long struggle to get to this point. Victor Ramírez-Juárez said, “MIRAC demands a true sanctuary city and the Municipal ID is one important step towards that goal. We thank the city for their progress in achieving accomplishing several of our Sanctuary Platform demands goals, including U Visa reform, establishing an Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, and ‘Know your ICE rights’ placards in police cars. But there is much more left to be done.” He also made a connection to the struggle against police brutality, expressing MIRAC’s support for creating a Minneapolis Police Accountability Council (MPAC).

Immigrant rights movement activists say next steps will include efforts to expand the Municipal ID victory to other municipalities as well as to win drivers license access for all in Minnesota.

#MinneapolisMN #PeoplesStruggles #immigrantRights #MIRAc #Antiracism #MunicipalID

Minneapolis, MN – People holding signs reading, “Municipal ID for all” and “Sanctuary now!” packed into the Minneapolis City Council Public Health, Environment and Civil Rights Committee hearing November 26. They came to give testimony and to encourage the city council to create a Minneapolis Municipal ID.

Dozens of Minneapolis residents spoke to their need for an ID due to immigration status, gender identity, housing instability, age and other reasons. After hearing the testimony, the committee voted unanimously in favor of creating a Minneapolis Municipal ID. The vote of approval from the committee forwards the ordinance to the full city council for a final vote on December 7.

The immigrant rights movement has led the push for creating municipal IDs in cities around the country, especially within states where immigrants are excluded from obtaining drivers licenses or other official government identification.

Speakers at the hearing talked about how the lack of an ID makes everyday interactions difficult or impossible, like picking up medical prescriptions, picking up kids from school, renting an apartment, or opening a bank account.

Most importantly, any interaction with police is dangerous when you can’t identify who you are; in such cases police will often arrest a person and bring them in to jail for booking to fingerprint and identify them even if they have done nothing wrong. Once in the criminal justice system, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) often intervenes and starts deportation proceedings against someone who can’t prove their immigration status. This is a large source of the skyrocketing deportation rates over the past decade.

In response, several cities around the U.S. have created a municipal ID in recent years to extend the democratic right of an official identification to people who are excluded or discriminated against with other types of official identification because of immigration status, gender, housing stability, age or other issues.

The campaign for a Minneapolis Municipal ID has been pushed forward by community-based organizations like the Minnesota Immigrant Movement (MIM), the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC), among many others.

MIRAC launched a Sanctuary Platform in September 2017, which included 13 things the Minneapolis city council could do to protect Minneapolis immigrant residents from the Trump administration’s attacks. One of the biggest points on the platform is the creation of a Municipal ID. So far, the city has implemented at least four of the platform planks, and is one vote away from creating a Municipal ID.

This is a significant step toward a victory for democratic rights of all Minneapolis residents. The next steps in the process are budget hearings and then the full city council vote on December 7. MIRAC, MIM and others are mobilizing for a large community presence for the December 7 vote.

#MinneapolisMN #PeoplesStruggles #ImmigrationAndCustomsEnforcementICE #MunicipalID #MinnesotaImmigrantRightsActionCommitteeMIRAC

Minneapolis, MN – On June 29, the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) held a press conference along with coalition partners in the campaign for an immigrant rights Sanctuary Platform in Minneapolis. Before the city council meeting, they gathered outside of City Hall to demand immediate action to implement a Municipal ID for Minneapolis residents – one of 13 points in their Minneapolis Sanctuary Platform unveiled on Sept. 20, 2017.

After the press conference, organizers and activists went upstairs to the city council chambers. Though there wasn’t space for public comment on the agenda, the council suspended their rules to allow a representative of the group to speak. In the council chambers, Daniel Romero said, “Children being separated from their families does not only happen on the Texas and Arizona border. Every single day in Minneapolis, ICE arrests and separates parents from their children...I’m not sure if you knew this but at Fort Snelling this year, more than 700 orders for deportation have been issued. More than at any time since 2013. You can reduce those deportations. But you have to bring an ordinance here to be voted on and you have to pass it...Our communities are suffering. You know what is happening in our country today. And you have the ability, it’s in your power to change that in the city of Minneapolis, and we urge you to do that. Pass it now.”

The demand for a Municipal ID as part of the Minneapolis Sanctuary Platform stems from the urgent need of the immigrant community and others to have the right to access an identification that will enable them to live in Minneapolis with greater respect and dignity. Not having any form of identification is a barrier to gaining employment, housing, banking and other forms of participation in society. Municipal ID also provides a measure of important protection in interactions with law enforcement which is a gateway to the deportation system.

Several cities around the country have implemented municipal ID programs, and the Minneapolis city council is currently debating Municipal ID proposals.

#MinneapolisMN #MIRAc #SanctuaryPlatform #MunicipalID

Minneapolis, MN – On Friday, April 13, in the City Hall rotunda, the Minnesota Immigrant Rights Action Committee (MIRAC) held their third press conference with their coalition partners since the launch of their campaign for ‘Sanctuary Now’ in Minneapolis. Before the meeting of the city council, they demanded urgent action to implement a Municipal ID for Minneapolis residents – one of 13 points in MIRAC’s Minneapolis Sanctuary Platform unveiled on Sept. 20, 2017.

The demand for a Municipal ID as part of the Minneapolis Sanctuary Platform stems from the urgent and immediate need of immigrant communities as well as homeless people, transgender, non-binary and gender non-conforming people, students and youth, and others to have the right to access an identification that will enable all people to live in Minneapolis with greater respect and dignity.

Not having any form of identification is a barrier to gaining employment, housing, banking and other forms of participation in society. A Municipal ID can’t guarantee those things, but it removes one barrier. Municipal ID also provides a measure of important protection in interactions with law enforcement, which too often is a gateway for immigrants without any government-issued identification into county jail and then the deportation system. At the same time, a Municipal ID will include benefits for all Minneapolis residents, and activists encourage everyone to get one. A Minneapolis Municipal ID is an important element for building equality in our neighborhoods and in our city.

At the press conference, MIRAC member Daniel Romero said, “MIRAC takes great pride in the fact that two important platform points have already been enacted: U Visa certifications and the creation of the Office of Immigrant and Refugee Affairs, a new department. In addition, Mayor Frey has told us that several of our other platform proposals have already been completed or are already underway. Today, MIRAC is at City Hall once again, to ensure that the city council and the mayor continue to advance the Sanctuary Now Platform, which moves our city toward becoming in reality the welcoming city that we claim to be. Municipal ID is urgent, and we want the city council to vote on this policy proposal as soon as possible, but no later than June.”

Many of the largest cities around the country have implemented municipal ID programs, with much impetus coming from the immigrant rights movement. The Minneapolis city council is currently debating Municipal ID proposals, which immigrant rights activists in Minneapolis have advocated for more than ten years. A press statement from MIRAC laid out seven key points that they are calling on the city council to incorporate into the Minneapolis Municipal ID:

• Control – Municipal ID must be controlled and implemented by the city and not privatized
• Access – Municipal ID must be accessible in all languages spoken in our communities
• Security – The city must destroy all Municipal ID personal data every six months
• Reciprocity – We want the city to form agreements with other cities and counties to recognize the Minneapolis ID
• Confidence – The Municipal ID must be a plastic card with a loadable magnetic strip, not a technological device
• Funding – Municipal ID program must be funded at a minimum rate of $100,000 per year
• Priority – Municipal ID is urgent and we want a passing vote before June 2018

After the press conference, organizers and activists presented the above written demands to city council members to guarantee community voices are represented as momentum builds for a Minneapolis Municipal ID.

#MinneapolisMN #MIRAc #SanctuaryPlatform #MunicipalID