NYC Mayor Wants To Give ID Cards To ‘Illegal Immigrants’

COMMENTARY – New York City’s illegal immigrants will be given municipal identification cards courtesy of recently elected Mayor Bill de Blasio. A representative for the NYC mayor told the media that a proposal for “undocumented immigrants” IDs will soon be officially submitted. Although though it is illegal for an individual to enter the United States without going through a formal process which includes background checks and border patrol checkpoints, some towns have labeled themselves sanctuary cities and snubbed their noses at federal law.

Opponents to Mayor de Blasio’s plan, and similar initiatives, feel that securing the borders and following existing immigration law is a matter of national security. Although illegal immigrants crossing the US border from Mexico are usually the focus of heated political debates involving amnesty, a terrorist could just as easily fly into an airport operated by our southern neighbors and make the same trek into America.

NYC Mayor de Blasio had this to say about offering municipal IDs to illegal immigrants:

“We will protect the almost half-million undocumented New Yorkers, whose voices too often go unheard. We will reach out to all New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status — issuing municipal ID cards available to all New Yorkers this year — so that no daughter or son of our city goes without bank accounts, leases, library cards … simply because they lack identification. To all of my fellow New Yorkers who are undocumented, I say: New York City is your home too, and we will not force ANY of our residents to live their lives in the shadows.”

Could Mayor de Blasio be charged as an accessory after the fact? Aiding someone in the commission of a crime is still illegal, even in New York City. Whether you like a law or not, it is still not legal to simply ignore the statute. I do not enjoy 55MPH speed limits, but know that if I push a little harder on the gas pedal I am breaking the law and will suffer the consequences if caught. Under de Blasio’s new policy, breaking the law is not followed by punishment, but a reward.

The New York City ID cards for illegal immigrants would not entitle the holder to obtain a driver’s license or be accepted as a form of identification at federal agencies. The new policy will fulfill one of Bill de Blasio’s campaign promises. The Democrat told voters that the ID cards would “foster better relations between the police and undocumented people, who often choose not to report crimes out of fear they may be deported.” Police officers, like elected officials, take an oath to uphold the law. Immigration statutes are federal laws and not enforced by city police officers, but the premise of respecting the nation’s laws is a concept which most officers due cherish. Handing an illegal immigrant a library card and help such individuals secure a bank loan is a slap in the face to border secure agents like Brian Terry who risk their lives daily to secure American boundaries.

According to Mayor de Blasio, crime in New Haven, Connecticut dropped by 20 percent after municipal IDs were offered to illegal immigrants. Residents and ranchers along the United States and Mexican border may disagree staunchly with New York City and New Haven’s immigration stance. Numerous reports of criminal acts, property destruction, and intimidation by drug lords have been reported by Americans living along the border.

How do you feel about giving illegal immigrants identification cards?

[Image Via Flicker/DonkeyHotey]