Elkhart, Nappanee not looking to issue ID cards for undocumented residents

In a statement Saturday, Stutsman said he wanted to clarify that Goshen is not currently issuing ID cards nor is it on his agenda. He is merely open to looking at it and hearing from the community.

Asked about it at a town hall meeting Jan. 23, he had said he is researching it to find out what a program like the one implemented in South Bend might entail and what purpose it would serve.

"I am open to look into what other municipalities have done with regards to issuing municipal IDs for anybody in the community who may need and qualify for them," he said in his Jan. 28 statement. "I'm not even at the point where I’m ready to propose it to the council. I’m not the final decision maker in this process. We would not embark on any new initiative without first determining there is community need and support."

He added that if he decides to move forward with such a plan, he would gauge the level of interest among city council members and may then propose it to the council in a public meeting. He said any new program like a municipal ID card is subject to council approval.

South Bend's ID cards don’t qualify as legal government-issued identification because, while Common Council members and Mayor Pete Buttigieg expressed support for the idea, ultimately it was issued by the Latino advocacy group La Casa de Amistad Inc.