Wyandotte County leaders pass Safe & Welcoming Act, creating municipal photo ID
The Unified Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City, Kansas passed the Safe & Welcoming City Act, giving way for county residents who don’t have a photo identification to obtain one.
The act also ensures that the Unified Government’s resources are not used to enforce federal immigration law.
Commissioners voted 6-4 to pass the ordinance.
After the vote announcing the act had been passed, several community residents inside city hall, who had shown up in support of the proposal, stood up cheering and hugging.
For them, the push to get Safe & Welcoming passed had taken five years, three mayors, several protests, and, on Thursday, watching the commissioners discuss the act for more than four hours.
And for a moment, it looked like they may have to wait longer.
Before the ordinance passed, Commissioner At-Large Tom Burroughs, who represents District 2, proposed a motion to defer discussion on the measure for four weeks. The motion failed 6-5 with Mayor Tyrone Garner’s vote breaking a tie.
Garner became frustrated that some commissioners wanted to delay a vote.
“This issue has been in the public arena for five years,” Garner said. “We cannot continue, in my opinion, to keep kicking this can down the road when the information has been out there for five years.”
With the ordinance, people who can’t obtain IDs will be able to get IDs, which would help them get library cards, open bank accounts, enroll children in school and gain access to other services.
The municipal ID is similar to those in cities such as Detroit, Little Rock, Arkansas, and Philadelphia.
The passing of the Safe & Welcoming Act fulfills one of Garner’s campaign promises — and was one of the differences between him and former Mayor David Alvey.
“Thanks to Mayor Garner, that’s the reason why it’s on the agenda,” said Karla Juarez, executive director of Advocates for Immigrants Rights and Reconciliation. “We have not been able to put it on the agenda because the mayor has that power.”
Throughout his mayoral run, Garner attended some of the public demonstrations where residents and advocates called for Safe & Welcoming to be passed.
Before he was elected, Garner told The Star he hoped to accomplish some of his campaign promises within the first 100 days of his administration.
The measure was passed 58 days into his administration.
Supporters have said that the Safe & Welcoming Act would help protect undocumented immigrants who may fear reporting crimes.
Yazmin Bruno, a DACA recipient who grew up in Kansas City, Kansas, said her mother was a victim of domestic violence but feared going to the police because she was undocumented and did not have identification.
“We proudly tout the fact that we are one of most diverse communities across this nation — the demographics speak to that — but to date we have not dignified all of our citizens to properly identify themselves,” said Commissioner Harold Johnson, who represents District 4. “This is not an effort to become a sanctuary city. This is a means of identifying and protecting the safety and welfare of all of our citizens, regardless if they are undocumented or not.”
An hour before the commission meeting, more than 100 people gathered in front of city hall and held yellow signs that read “VOTE YES!” while chanting “UG, UG, hear our cry, don’t let Safe & Welcoming die.”
Several of those who gathered outside went inside city hall and asked the commissioners to pass the ordinance during public comments. A few speakers asked the commission to reject the act. And others wanted the proposal to be put up to a county-wide vote.
“To hear the rhetoric that all we immigrants bring is violence, disappoints me,” said Commissioner Christian Ramirez, who represents District 3. “We provide to this community. Central Avenue is a thriving community than what it was before.”
On Friday, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt voiced opposition to the adoption of the measure, saying he believes it allows police “to turn a blind eye to particular illegal activity.”
The municipal ID is also different than the identification the Kansas City, Kansas Police Department provides. The police department launched its program in August.
In order to get an ID from the police department, a person needed to have previously had a Kansas-issued ID.
This story was originally published February 10, 2022 at 10:58 PM.
