Most Recent News Coverage
Beacon City Council approves municipal IDs
December 18, 2018 | Mid-Hudson News
“Other members of Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson shared their reasons for why this program would benefit Beacon residents, which included a personal story from Middletown resident Vanessa Cid. She shared her experience of falling sick during school as a child, and how her mother’s failure to provide a valid U.S. ID as an immigrant from Mexico prevented her from gaining access to medications.”
Beacon aims to help ‘marginalized’ residents with municipal IDs
December 18, 2018 | A.J. Martelli, Poughkeepsie Journal
“The ID will make a big difference in the lives of many Beacon adults and children, including by making sure all parents can go to parent-teacher conferences and get library cards,” said Ignacio Acevedo, lead organizer of Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson. “It will also make Beacon a stronger, more united community, and benefit all residents.”
Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson Contacts 10,000 Voters Ahead of Mid-Term Election
November 6, 2018 | Karina Curry, Boilerplate
“In preparation for the 2018 midterm elections, Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson has successfully registered over 1,000 new voters and contacted 9,000 more voters to increase voter turnout.”
Middletown council approves municipal ID cards
November 6, 2018 | Mid Hudson News
“Drafting the program was spearheaded by DeStefano and Alderman Gerry Kleiner. The alderman said he hopes the program will enhance public safety. Several organizations including Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson and the regional chapter of the New York Civil Liberties Union, lobbied for the program. The City of Poughkeepsie adopted a municipal ID program in July and the City of Kingston is expected to adopt the same law in December.”
Middletown Municipal ID Program Approved
November 6, 2018 | Caitlin Landers, Spectrum News
“For two years the advocacy group ‘Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson,’ with support from Mayor Joseph DeStefano, campaigned for the program. It was a packed common council chamber in Middletown as members voted unanimously to approve it.”
Middletown approves resident ID-card program
November 5, 2018 | Lana Bellamy, Times Herald-Record
“The Common Council voted unanimously at its meeting Monday to launch a municipal ID program after two years of discussions. About 300 people packed the council chambers at City Hall, spilling into the corridor and the stairwell adjacent to the meeting room. After the vote, the crowd broke into applause and whistles, then moved downstairs to the foyer to celebrate.”
PHOTOS: Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson
November 5, 2018 | Tania Barricklo, Daily Freeman
Photos of: “The new office for Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson in Midtown Kingston.”
Making the census count
October 31, 2018 | Gregg McQueen, Manhattan Times News
“The data the Census collects is the data that every level of our government will use,” Settle said. “It’s also the data that businesses and universities will analyze, and it’s the most important data that we will have about New York residents for the next 10 years.”
Middletown Common Council to vote on municipal ID program
October 31, 2018 | Lana Bellamy, Times Herald-Record
“Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson, a local civil rights advocacy group, is expecting to have more than 200 people at Monday’s meeting to support the program’s passage, according to an email from the group’s president on Thursday.”
Nobody Leaves Mid Hudson
October 24, 2018 | Daily Freeman
“Diana Lopez talks about Nobody Leaves Midhudson New Center in Kingston NY.”
Business alliance of Kingston briefed on municipal ID movement
October 19, 2018 | Mid Hudson News
“In addition to allowing for easier interaction with law enforcement, they could also be used by participating financial institutions to open bank accounts, identify individuals picking their children up from school, obtaining library cards and provide an overall sense of being accepted by the community. In terms of the Greenlight Campaign, the statewide effort would lower the point system in place for obtaining a driver’s license not just for undocumented immigrants, but all state residents.”
Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson working to improve voter turnout in elections
October 18, 2018 | Yase Smallens, Poughkeepsie Journal
“Elected officials decide where our children learn, what healthcare we get, and how our rights are protected — decisions which directly impact our everyday lives. Legislators listen and attend to the needs of the people who vote; if we are to have a truly just democracy, we must ensure that all identities are represented at the ballot box.”
Middletown Common Council to vote on municipal IDs next month
October 17, 2018 | Mid Hudson News
“As Poughkeepsie did, there will be an implementation date because we are going to pass the legislation and then we will have to translate the documents, we have to have instruction on how to recognize them. We have to have the application on the website and it has to match the legislation. We will hopefully have the application and everything translated.”
Immigrant Activist to give keynote address at Business Alliance of Kingston fall meeting
October 13, 2018 | Paul Kirby, Daily Freeman
“’The Business Alliance of Kingston (BAK) is aware of the important work Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson has been doing to help residents of the Mid-Hudson Valley receive more equitable treatment, particularly around the issue of wintertime utility shutoffs,’ said Tapiwa Muronda, the Business Alliance of Kingston president. ‘We welcome them to Midtown and have invited them to share their work with the business community.'”
Our Everyday Family Seperations
October 12, 2018 | Vanessa Cid, Counter Punch
“At Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson, we’re working to get this legislation passed in six more cities across the Hudson Valley to improve thousands of immigrants’ lives. We’re getting close to a vote on municipal IDs in Beacon, Kingston, and Middletown.”
Immigrants Vote! Campaign: Register NY Voters
October 11, 2018 | Allison Dunne, WAMC Northeast Report
“After individuals vote, wanting to do even deeper follow-up with them around what is civic engagement, the different levels of government, who represents at the different levels, what kind of issues do they work on.”
Middletown agrees to pass law to provide municipal ID cards to all residents
October 3, 2018 | News 12 Westchester
“For the past year, immigrants in Middletown say they have been fighting for the I.D. card program. They say the program will provide identification to undocumented residents and others without I.D.. Ignacio Avecedo works for Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson, the grassroots organization that helped members push for the I.D. programs in Poughkeepsie, Middletown and Kingston.”
Middletown municipal ID program closer to reality
October 3, 2018 | Lana Bellamy, Times Herald-Record
“The purpose of the program is to promote city pride and encourage civic engagement. But the cards will also provide a photo ID for city residents who have unusual difficulty obtaining an ID, such as undocumented immigrants or the homeless.”
Kingston likely to adopt municipal ID program
October 3, 2018 | Mid-Hudson News
“The Kingston Common Council passed a memorializing resolution Tuesday evening supporting a municipal ID program for city residents. The resolution solidifies the city’s commitment to helping undocumented residents secure a means of identification that will allow them to deal with authorities more effectively, use public services and feel more dignified as members of the community.”
Kingston council urged to initiate municipal ID program
September 13, 2018 | By William J. Kemble, Daily Freeman
“Ignacio Acevedo, organizer of immigrant rights group Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson, told city lawmakers municipal ID cars would provide validation to city residents who often find it difficult to have a sense of belonging to the community. Acevedo said common needs for identification include picking up prescriptions from pharmacies and getting children from schools. He also noted there are costs for other forms of identification.”
Group backing municipal ID program in Kingston setting up Midtown office
September 8, 2018 | By Paul Kirby, Daily Freeman
“Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson has been spearheading the recent effort to create a Kingston municipal ID program for people, including undocumented immigrants, to get identification cards that they otherwise could not obtain. Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson is also involved in other advocacy work, including expanding driver’s license access to undocumented New Yorkers and fighting for better gas and electric utilities access and affordability, Bix has said.”
U.S. Cities Issue IDs to Protect Undocumented Immigrants
August 20, 2018 | By Liz Brazile, Yes! Magazine
“More than 20 U.S. cities and counties have launched municipal identification programs since 2007 to make civic engagement and day-to-day living more accessible. Several more are in the process of creating legislation that would allow residents of any immigration status to get a local government ID.”
Voting Volunteers Changing up the ‘Pitch’ for this Year’s Election
August 6, 2018 | By Spectrum News Staff, Spectrum News
“A training session Sunday taught registration volunteers in Poughkeepsie to ask ‘When was the last time you voted?’ instead of ‘Are you registered?’ This is part of a non-partisan effort by the community group Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson. They say their aim isn’t to sway anyone; rather they want to get more people to go through the quick process to become eligible to vote.
Beacon to Consider Municipal ID
August 3, 2018 | By Brian PJ Cronin, The Highlands Current
“In a statement released by Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson, Beacon Mayor Randy Casale was quoted as expressing support for municipal IDs but in an interview said he wanted to make sure they weren’t already available. ‘You can get a non-driver’s ID at the DMV,’ he said. ‘Are we duplicating something that’s being done already?’ However, unlike non-driver IDs offered by the Department of Motor Vehicles, municipal IDs do not require a Social Security number or birth certificate.”
Kingston Council Majority Leader Open to Municipal ID Cards
August 1, 2018 | By Paul Kirby, Daily Freeman
“This could be a source of pride for everyone,” Scott-Childress, D-Ward 3, said in a recent interview. ‘[It could] create a better sense of community… The main focus of [those calling for the ID program] may be undocumented residents, but that doesn’t have to be our main focus.”
Statewide Coalition Calls on Governor to Act on Immigrant Driver Licenses
July 31, 2018 | By Mid Hudson News
“A consortium of organizations across the state is urging Governor Cuomo to sign an executive order adopting implementing Green Light NY, which grants access to driver’s licenses for immigrant New Yorkers.”
Hudson Valley Cities Moving Toward Municipal ID Program
July 21, 2018 | By Jesse J. Smith, Hudson Valley One
“A coalition of immigration advocacy groups is spearheading a campaign to create a ‘municipal identification’ program in Mid-Hudson cities, including Kingston. The program, they say, could benefit not only immigrants but many segments of society, from the homeless to the elderly to domestic violence victims.”
Fees Would Offset Kingston Municipal ID Costs, Immigrant Advocacy Group Says
July 21, 2018 | By Paul Kirby, Daily Freeman
“Bix has said the program is intended to help those ‘who struggle everyday with critical tasks those of us with government-issued ID may take for granted, such as picking their children up from school, filling prescriptions, seeing a doctor, opening bank accounts, using the library and interacting with the police.'”
Orange Confidential: Middletown Mayor Optimistic City Will Adopt ID Program
July 14, 2018 | By Lana Bellamy, Record Online
“The group Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson is spearheading the recent effort to create a Kingston municipal ID program for people, including undocumented immigrants, to get identification cards that they otherwise could not obtain.”
Advocacy Group Pushes Municipal ID Program in Kingston
July 14, 2018 | By Paul Kirby, Daily Freeman
“The group Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson is spearheading the recent effort to create a Kingston municipal ID program for people, including undocumented immigrants, to get identification cards that they otherwise could not obtain.”
Poughkeepsie Becomes Second City in NYS with Municipal ID
July 11, 2018 | By Kathy Welsh, HVNN
“The vote follows months of advocacy for the legislation by Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson, a member-led immigrant rights and social justice organization based in Dutchess, Orange, and Ulster Counties, in collaboration with members of the City Council and Poughkeepsie community.”
Kingston Mayor Hails Poughkeepsie Approval of Municipal ID Program
July 10, 2018 | By Paul Kirby, Daily Freeman
“’Congratulations to the city of Poughkeepsie on this significant step forward,’ the Kingston mayor said. ‘With the adoption of municipal IDs, Poughkeepsie has demonstrated a substantial commitment to the safety and well-being of its residents, and I look forward to working with my partners on the [Kingston] Common Council to develop similar legislation in Kingston in the coming months.'”
City of Poughkeepsie to Issue ID Cards
July 10, 2018 | By John B. Warry, Poughkeepsie Journal
“The new program was unanimously approved Monday night by the Common Council. Officials say it could potentially help vulnerable residents open a bank account, secure a library card and pay for a parking meter and public transportation.”
Municipal ID Program Approved in Poughkeepsie
July 9, 2018 | By Ben Nandy, Spectrum News
“A party broke out in the Poughkeepsie Common Council chambers on Monday evening when the council approved the long-debated municipal ID program by a count of 8 to 0. Close to 100 members of the community group, Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson, erupted in cheers once it was official. “
Hundreds Attend Kingston Rally to Protest Trump Policy of Family Separations at US-Mexico Border
June 30, 2018 | By Patricia R. Doxsey, Daily Freeman
“Kingston’s protest was one of roughly 750 planned to take place across the country Saturday Locally, the protest drew people of all ages and from all walks of life, including more than a dozen members of the area’s faith community and several elected officials.”
Wide Support Voiced for Proposed Municipal ID in Poughkeepsie
July 3, 2018 | Mid Hudson News
“’The card doesn’t convey special government benefits,’ Bix said. ‘It fills an access gap that is created by the fact that a government-issued ID is required for so much of everyday life and yet it is unnecessarily hard for thousands of our residents to get. And, because there is no incentive for fraud, there hasn’t been notable fraud issues in any of the 29 cities with municipal IDs.'”
Immigration Advocates Rally in Kingston
July 1, 2018 | Mid Hudson News
“We are going to push to make sure that Kingston has its own ID, open to anyone that wants one,” the mayor added. The documents will make it easier for undocumented individuals to obtain drivers licenses, and interact with other institutions including public schools, which now require identification.”
Governor Signs Legislation to Increase Protections for Immigrant Children in New York
June 28, 2018 | Mid Hudson News
“Ignacio Acevedo of Newburgh, an organizer with Nobody Leaves MidHudson, said the measure is a good idea but more is needed… Acevedo, a native of Mexico, said there needs to be community IDs and the Greenlight campaign to make drivers’ licenses available to undocumented drivers, making roads safer for everyone.”