What to Know
- A judge has rejected a bid to force New York City to turn over redacted versions of documents people provided to apply for IDNYC
- The decision comes after two Mexican grandparents were locked up after using their ID to get into an Army base to visit family on July 4th
- The city argued the information is shielded by privacy and personal-safety exemptions to public records laws
A judge has rejected a bid to force New York City to turn over redacted versions of documents people provided to apply for immigrant-friendly municipal ID cards.
Manhattan judge Nancy Bannon's decision was filed Monday.
The "IDNYC" cards are available to all city residents but aimed at those without other ID. Over 900,000 cards have been issued since 2015, but last year, two Mexican grandparents were locked up after using their New York City-issued cards to visit their soldier son-in-law at an Army base. Their detentions sparking fears that the New York City-issued cards they presented actually tipped off federal agents.
State Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis and then-Assemblyman Ronald Castorina Jr. sued for cardholders' passports and other application documents, with personal information redacted.
The city argued the information is shielded by privacy and personal-safety exemptions to public records laws. The city also said redaction would be burdensome and add nothing beyond statistics already released.
Democratic Mayor Bill de Blasio hailed Bannon's decision. A message was sent to Malliotakis, his 2017 Republican opponent.
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"Their personal information will NOT be shared. Immigrant New Yorkers can get IDNYC with confidence," the Mayor's Office said in a tweet.
