CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Over the weekend, hundreds of people gathered at the Little Village Community Council building to sign up for a Chicago City Key ID, which for some the ID issued by the City of Chicago Clerk is the only form of government issued ID they might receive for awhile.
Chicago City Clerk Anna Valencia was in the neighborhood invited Saturday by the Little Village Community Council to as she puts it “help the community learn about unlocking Chicago with the Chicago City Key ID program,” meant to connect Chicagoans to the place that they call home.
City Key carriers get exclusive discounts with partnering businesses and events across the city. It also serves as a Chicago Public Library card, a CTA Ventra card, and a Chicago prescription drug discount card.
For some, the City Key ID may be the only government-issued picture identification they carry, as the program is open to all Chicagoans, regardless of age, gender, housing, or immigration status.
The City Key ID helps many, that may have fled from other countries bringing with them to the US no documentation, to better participate in the community including giving them the ability to open a bank account in their name.
Little Village Community Council President Baltazar Enriquez told WBBM Newsradio that the City Key ID issuing date can be useful in making progress toward citizenship as well.
"I can prove I got here in 2020 with a City Key ID and other documentation, then the immigration would take that into consideration that you been here in the United States, paying taxes, with no crime, you've been a good citizen and therefore you should apply for residency. After the five years of residency, then you become a citizen," he said.
Enriquez said that the demand was so great over the weekend that they had to turn some people away and that they will be holding another mass City Key ID issuing event in early September.
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