New Orleans joins dozens of cities with new municipal ID card
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Sample Crescent City ID cards for an adult, left, and a child. Images: Courtesy of Mayor LaToya Cantrell's office
New Orleans is rolling out a new form of ID this summer to allow residents to access city services and confirm who they are more easily than with state and federal identification cards.
Why it matters: Civil rights activists say municipal IDs reduce barriers to accessing essential services, especially for immigrant and unhoused communities.
- The IDs will function as public library cards, track NORD programming, offer RTA discounts and be usable in interacting with local law enforcement.
The latest: Mayor LaToya Cantrell, who proposed the municipal ID to City Council and gained its unanimous support last fall, unveiled the design and initial benefits of Crescent City IDs last week.
- Residents can start getting their IDs at a launch event Sept. 6 from 9am to 2pm at the Treme Recreation Center, a city press release says.
Between the lines: More than 40 other cities have municipal ID programs, according to the ACLU of Louisiana, whose political director testified to City Council in favor of New Orleans' edition.
- In addition to accessing public services, the cards can make it easier for people from vulnerable communities to open bank accounts and secure apartments, advocates say.
- But the programs appear to be recognized by the Trump administration as a "sanctuary city"-type policy, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement subpoenaed Chicago's municipal ID office last month for its identification records.
What they're saying: Gov. Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill slammed the new IDs last week, questioning why city leaders felt the need to create them.
- "This is the stupidest idea I've ever seen," Landry posted on X. "The City of New Orleans is under the State of Louisiana. It is not its own country."
How it works: To apply for a Crescent City ID, New Orleans residents can choose from a long list of accepted documents to verify their identities.
- The list includes documents not typically accepted for state or federal identity verification, such as student IDs, expired foreign IDs and medical records. Officials will not maintain copies of these records, according to the city website.
- The ID cards will be available to people as young as 10 through pop-up events and at a dedicated office within the Annunciation Recreation Center.
Zoom in: Some local businesses are also offering discounts for Crescent City ID holders, officials say.
- "We want these IDs to be something that everyone wants," City Councilwoman Helena Moreno said last fall when City Council passed Cantrell's ordinance, according to The Times-Picayune. "It wouldn't be stigmatized, that just vulnerable populations have one."
- The list of participating businesses already includes JusTini's, Jamaican Jerk House, Melba's, St. Noir Café, Magnolia Yoga Studio, JAMNOLA and the Prytania Theatre at Canal Place, with more to come, according to Cantrell's office.