New York City officials were surprised by the interest among residents on the municipal ID card as evidenced by long queues to apply and get the identity document.

San Francisco Chronicle reports that more than 240,000 appointments have been made on the first month the ID was opened to residents when previous estimate was that in one year, it would be good if 250,000 to 300,000 residents would apply.

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Since it was made available on January 12, more than 30,000 people were enrolled and already got their cards or waiting for the document in the mail. As a result of the unexpected popularity of the ID, NYC had to rush to open more processing center to reduce long lines and wait times.

Latino Post explains the popularity of the card, especially among undocumented immigrants, because the information of applicants such as name, address and proof of residency, could be destroyed by Dec. 31, 2016. That's three weeks before U.S. President Barack Obama leaves the White House.

It means if the next president is not as sympathetic to immigrants as Obama is, the information would not be available for agents of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to use against them for deportation proceedings.

The ID could be used to apply for library membership, discounts and to open a bank account.

Nisha Agarwal, commissioner for the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs, commenting on the popularity of the ID, said, "To see this kind of response is remarkable in a positive way and I think has a lot of lessons to teach us."

The commissioner added, "We want it to sort of be the passport to New York City for everyone."

TagsNew York City, IDNYC, NYC ID, undocumented immigrants