FILE - In this Jan. 12, 2015 file photo, people wait in line to apply for municipal identification cards on the first day they were available at the Bronx Library Center, in the Bronx borough of New York. ID cards issued by a growing number of U.S. cities to make it easier for immigrants living in the country illegally and poor people to open bank accounts and access social services are now being used as passes for anything from pharmacy discounts to free museum memberships. Detroit's IDs, set to launch later in September 2016, follow the U.S. Supreme Court's recent deadlock on a decision effectively blocking an Obama administration plan to shield millions of immigrants living in the country illegally from deportation. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File) (The Associated Press)
DETROIT – ID cards are being issued by a growing number of U.S. cities to make it easier for poor people and immigrants living in the country illegally to open bank accounts and access social services.
Those IDs are now being used for pharmacy discounts, free museum memberships and other things that advocates hope make immigrants feel more at home amid the unwelcoming rhetoric of this presidential campaign season.
Pushed by immigrant advocates and others, the identification cards were first introduced almost a decade ago in New Haven, Connecticut. San Francisco followed. Last year, New York City launched the country's most ambitious program.
Detroit is the latest set to use municipal IDs. Backers say the program aims to offer benefits for all, yet sends a particularly welcoming message this year.
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