Judge Rules City Can Destroy Documents Associated With Municipal ID Program
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A judge ruled Friday that New York City is legally allowed to destroy personal documents associated with its municipal identification program.
As WCBS 880's Peter Haskell reported, Mayor Bill de Blasio said the ruling would help those who have the cards.
But the judge in the cases also issued a stay Friday -- postponing any action until April 17, pending an appeal.
Two state Assembly members have sought to prevent the destruction of documents, such as copies of foreign passports, used to verify a person's identity to obtain the IDNYC card.
One of those lawmakers was Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island), who said she was disappointed in the ruling.
"This is an issue of government transparency," Malliotakis said. "It's against the freedom of information, a law to be destroying government records."
But according to The New York Times, Judge Philip G. Minardo says purging the documents would not be a threat to national security as the legislators have claimed.
The card can be used by people without a driver's license or an American passport.
Advocates say keeping the documents could lead authorities to the applicants, putting them at risk of deportation.
(© Copyright 2017 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
