State forbids public funding of community IDs but local programs still issuing them
Brenda Morris was all dolled up and ready for her closeup. She wore red lipstick and a black-and-pink patterned dress as a volunteer snapped her photo in the TV room at the Salvation Army in Fort Lauderdale.
She reviewed the photos, insisting the volunteer use the most flattering one on her new community ID card.
The ID card will help Morris, 68, gain easier access medical care and, she hopes, a seeing eye dog. Morris, who has vision loss and is hard of hearing, said she did not know exactly how long it’s been since she was evicted and became homeless, but she figured it had been a few months. She now lives at the Salvation Army’s shelter.
Community IDs are photo identification cards individuals like Morris can use to access a variety of services that require identification. Anyone who lives in the county issuing the ID can apply, but these IDs are often used by homeless, elderly or formerly incarcerated people, undocumented immigrants and others who may struggle to obtain a state or federal ID.
Ivan Parra, the director of the community ID program run by Legal Aid Service of Broward County, said the ID cards can allow county residents to open bank accounts, pick their children up from school and access public transit or their local library. Parra added that these IDs can help “restore a sense of dignity and belonging” to cardholders.
“There are just so many vulnerable populations within our community that oftentimes go unnoticed,” said Brent McLaughlin, the president and CEO of social services non-profit Branches, which issues community IDs in Miami-Dade County.
Programs issuing community IDs exist in Miami-Dade and Broward counties, but under a new state law, which Gov. Ron DeSantis has called “the strongest anti-illegal immigration legislation in the country,” it may become harder for residents to get a card.
New law says counties, municipalities can’t fund community IDs
In May, DeSantis signed Senate Bill 1718, which prevents counties and municipalities from funding organizations that provide IDs to individuals who cannot prove they are citizens or legal residents. The new rule went into effect on July 1.
The new legislation also invalidates out-of-state IDs issued to undocumented immigrants, requires employers with 25 or more employees to use E-Verify to validate their employees’ eligibility to work in the U.S. and imposes harsher penalties on undocumented immigrants and their employers. The law also requires hospitals to collect data on patients’ immigration status, but patients can decline to participate without penalty.
Though Miami-Dade County can no longer fund community ID programs, the county will continue to accept them, said Natalia Jaramillo, a spokesperson for the mayor’s office. She said the county does not plan to limit the services that accept community IDs.
Broward County’s community ID program was completely funded by the county and a few municipalities until the new law went into effect, Parra said, and he encouraged people to donate to help sustain the program. Parra said he wishes the Broward County community ID program could expand to reach more people, rather than deal with budget cuts. He said since the new law went into effect, Broward’s ID program has relied on individuals’ donations for any new funding, adding that the program will need “larger donations” to continue operating at full capacity.
Parra said Broward’s community ID program has issued about 8,500 IDs since it began.
Branches, which has issued over 2,000 community IDs to Miami-Dade residents, previously received around 80% of its funding from the county, McLaughlin said. He said the non-profit has had to pivot toward private fundraising in response to the new law.
McLaughlin said the Shepard Broad Foundation has donated $20,000 to the Miami-Dade community ID program, and Branches will continue to seek the foundation’s support in the future. He added that individuals can donate to Branches and specify they want to support the community ID program.
Branches is the only county-recognized issuer of community IDs in Miami-Dade, said Jaramillo.
Community IDs aren’t just for undocumented immigrants
Maria Bilbao, a community advocate in Miami-Dade County, said she was already a U.S. citizen when the county rolled out its community ID program. But she said she applied for one anyway and often uses it to pick up prescriptions at Publix.
She said she likes to use it when she can to raise awareness about community IDs. Bilbao said she emigrated from Argentina and was undocumented for 17 years before becoming a citizen.
Maurice Middleton, who has a Broward community ID, also said he uses his community ID at the pharmacy. In fact, he said the first thing he did when he received his community ID was use it at a Walgreens.
Middleton said he has an expired driver’s license from New York but is trying to get a Florida license, which he said has proven difficult. He said he needs his South Carolina birth certificate to apply for the driver’s license, but he is having a hard time getting a new copy of the document without proper identification.
The Miami-Dade Police Department supports the county’s community ID program, said Argemis Colome, a police department spokesperson. Community IDs can help police identify people more easily, Colome said in an email to the Herald.
McLaughlin said this new policy will likely have consequences for more than just undocumented immigrants. Community IDs, he said, are a resource for those who “fall through the cracks.” Parra said a common misconception about community IDs is that only undocumented immigrants use them.
Community IDs have limitations. These IDs cannot be used as driver’s licenses, for voting or for air travel, according to the Miami-Dade County website. In Miami-Dade, community IDs include the person’s photo, name, address, date of birth, gender, signature, height, expiration date, issue date, ID number and emergency contact person.
Republicans praise new legislation
DeSantis has called this law his response to the “Biden border crisis,” which he said, “has wreaked havoc across the United States” in a statement from May. State Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, a Republican from Hernando County, introduced the bill earlier this year.
Ingoglia’s office did not provide further comment on the legislation.
Republican state Sen. Ileana Garcia, whose district includes parts of Miami, Miami Beach and Coral Gables, has voiced her support for the legislation.
“Senator Ingoglia’s legislation is designed to prevent the use of illegal identification cards in Florida, to prevent human trafficking and put a stop to the abuses by unscrupulous individuals who take advantage of the most vulnerable,” Garcia said in a statement in March.
Garcia’s office did not respond to a request for further comment.
Providers plan to continue issuing IDs
While McLaughlin said it will be challenging to go without funding from the county, he said he does not want to dwell on the disappointment.
“I think there’s still a path forward to provide what is a very valuable and critical service for many people in our community,” he said.
McLaughlin said Branches has had to scale back the number of clinics it offers since the law went into effect. In the past Branches had hosted up to four community ID events per month. Now, he said they have been limited to one or two.
Karla Bachmann, the vice president of financial wellness at Branches, said these events are by appointment only. Each event has around 250 slots, and residents can register for appointments online, Bachmann said.
Bilbao, who volunteers at ID clinics run by Branches, said she has been frustrated by the new legislation and the rhetoric surrounding it, including Garcia’s claims that limiting community ID funding will combat human trafficking. Bilbao said she believes community IDs actually help prevent human trafficking by ensuring vulnerable individuals can identify themselves to law enforcement.
Parra said his team was “disappointed” when the legislation passed, but, like McLaughlin, he said it is important to keep moving forward. Though community ID providers are facing funding concerns, Miami-Dade and Broward County residents can still apply for and receive community IDs.
To apply, residents need proof they reside in the county and a photo ID. Some acceptable forms of photo ID include driver’s licenses and American and non-American passports. The photo IDs can be expired, and the address in the county can be a homeless shelter.
Middleton said he had not heard about the new legislation barring counties and municipalities from funding community IDs, but said he thinks undocumented immigrants should be able to apply for community IDs, especially if they pay taxes.
“What’s the problem?” said Middleton. “If you live in a community, does it matter whether you’re an illegal immigrant if you pay taxes?”
How to get a community ID
▪ In Miami-Dade: Contact Branches at 305-442-8306 or go online to https://branchesfl.wpengine.com/miamiid/
▪ In Broward: Contact Legal Aid at 954-765-8950 or go online to https://www.browardlegalaid.org/communityid/
▪ What you’ll need: Proof you reside in the county in which you’re applying for a community ID and a current or expired photo ID. Some acceptable forms of ID include driver’s licenses and American and non-American passports. The county residence can be a homeless shelter.
This story was originally published August 23, 2023 at 5:30 AM.
