New York City’s push to make it easier for illegal migrants to obtain municipal residency ID cards so they can get access to free healthcare and housing is “absolutely insanity,” a Republican senator raged early Tuesday.
Sen. Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), who serves on the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions, ripped the Adams administration-backed change, arguing the “reckless and dangerous” policy will “pretty much set [the] city on fire.”
“Absolute insanity. They are expanding the ways illegal immigrants can get IDs to get more benefits, housing, health care, et cetera,” the senator and former Florida attorney general told Fox News’ “Fox & Friends First.”
“One of the ways they can do that is, shockingly, [to] show their paperwork from the Federal Bureau of Prisons. They are rolling out a welcome sign to those that have been convicted felons to come into their to their city and use that to get identification if you’re here illegally.”
The Big Apple’s change, which was passed by the City Council, adds 23 types of lesser IDs that migrants and others can now show to prove New York City residency to obtain the IDNYC card.
Expired driver’s licenses, as well as previous documents from ICE, the Federal Bureau of Prisons and open cases with city departments such as for housing, can be used to help get approval for the official city IDs.
The IDs — first offered by the de Blasio administration back in 2015 — were put in place to help migrants access free health care in city public hospitals, open bank accounts, sign leases and enroll in schools.
Still, Mooney ripped the new changes that make it even easier to obtain the useful card, saying it was unfair New Yorkers — and other taxpayers in other sanctuary cities — were having to foot the bill for illegal migrants.
“It is incredible that they would ever, ever keep pushing this insanity when Trump has said, ‘we’re not funding your mess anymore. We’re cleaning up this house. We’re cutting up this funding that has allowed you to enact policies that are undermining the security and stability of your cities that’s over’,” she said.
“It’s insane that they’re going to just keep crashing the car into the house that we’re trying to rebuild.”
The issue emerged just as Mayor Eric Adams was slated to testify about immigration before Congress on Wednesday.
“The New York City Identification Card Program (“IDNYC Card Program”) was established to ensure that New Yorkers are provided with the opportunity and peace of mind that come with possessing a government-issued photo identification,” the city Human Resources Administration said in posting its rules change.
“To date, the program has enrolled approximately 1.7 million individuals. In an ongoing effort to serve New York’s most vulnerable populations, IDNYC further seeks to expand and refine the number and types of reliable and verifiable documents that can be accepted as proof of identity and residency.”
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