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| Dr. Francisco Villegas |
Francisco Villegas is an Assistant Professor of Sociology at Kalamazoo College.
He has earned a PhD, Sociology in Education, Ontario Institute For Studies in Education of the University of Toronto, a MA, Mexican American Studies, San Jose State University and a BA, Psychology and Social Behavior, University of California, Irvine.
From 2014-2016, Dr. Villegas was a lecturer, in the Department of Sociology, at the University of Toronto Scarborough.
His areas of specialization include Immigration, Race, Membership/Citizenship, Deportability and Illegalization.
Since May, 2017 Kalamazoo County has been issuing Local ID cards. Can you tell us the role you played in helping to set up and implement the Kalamazoo County ID project? Why did you decide to become involved in this effort?
The Kalamazoo County has now issued over 2,000 IDs. I became involved because my research is localized and particularly invested in the ways that marginalized communities work together to address systemic inequities. I attended a meeting where early discussions about the ID were part of the agenda and I asked if I could support the project in any way. I was initially asked to join the Needs and Barriers subcommittee of the County ID Task Force and was later asked to write and present the report to the County. Currently I am serving my second year as the Chair for the Kalamazoo County ID Advisory Board and working with the Board to enhance knowledge about the card as well as access to it.
What was the most difficult challenge the Project faced in getting the Kalamazoo County ID Project in place?
Given the many communities affected by lack of ID in this county, you would think that politicians would readily see the value and purpose of such a project, but this was not the case. Politicians failed to see beyond their party-affiliation and the sensationalized fears that lead to not trusting our own communities.
Given the many communities affected by lack of ID in this county, you would think that politicians would readily see the value and purpose of such a project, but this was not the case. Politicians failed to see beyond their party-affiliation and the sensationalized fears that lead to not trusting our own communities.
Why is having a local ID option important?
In the face of federal and state-level policies that make IDs unattainable for a significant portion of the population, it is important to have local governments provide an alternative. We live in a society that normalizes the availability of ID, we demand it to pick up kids from school or to get our medications, it is expected when coming in contact with law enforcement or when applying for a job. These are just a few examples but you can see how essential IDs have become.
Can you describe the current process to obtain a Kalamazoo County ID?
There are two methods. The first is available if you already have access to a form of photo ID. It requires that you bring enough documents to fulfill a 300 point threshold. The second is a stacking procedure that demands 400 points composed of documents that verify your identity, though do not have a picture of you. Essentially, there must be enough documents from trusted institutions that provide a level of assurance that the name on the application is the person in front of the clerk. The criteria was developed alongside the Kalamazoo County Sheriff and can be found on the County Clerk’s office website.
What pieces of information are contained on the Kalamazoo County ID?
First name, middle initial, last name, address, ID #, date of birth, height, eye color, date issued, date expired, and emergency contact. It also includes two photographs and a captured signature.
First name, middle initial, last name, address, ID #, date of birth, height, eye color, date issued, date expired, and emergency contact. It also includes two photographs and a captured signature.
At the time Kalamazoo County began to issue local IDs, only Detroit and Washtenaw County issued them in Michigan. Are you aware of any other municipalities that have joined this effort?
There are dozens across the country and the Midwest appears to be a site of growth. Chicago began issuing theirs at about the same time. Minneapolis recently passed a resolution to provide their own. There are also smaller localities like Johnson County in Iowa and South Bend Indiana.
There are dozens across the country and the Midwest appears to be a site of growth. Chicago began issuing theirs at about the same time. Minneapolis recently passed a resolution to provide their own. There are also smaller localities like Johnson County in Iowa and South Bend Indiana.
In a March, 2019 meeting of the Kalamazoo County Board of Commissioners you gave them three recommendations. To approve an advertising strategy on billboards and mass transit, establish a mobile sign-up unit to expand outreach, and for Kalamazoo College to offer work study hours to students. Could you elaborate a bit on each of these recommendations?
The first is now completed and paid for by the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. It was considered an important method of informing the community about the availability of the ID. The other two recommendations are connected. They recognize that the County Administration Building is open during business hours and many people work during that time and cannot afford to take time off to go the office to get their ID, particularly people who do not work/live close to the building. The goal of a mobile unit is to go to the community as an effort to ensure greater accessibility. Finally, incorporating Kalamazoo College students is part of the liberal arts education project- having them be exposed to real life issues and methods of addressing them. It also provides students experience in the policy sector that will be useful in their future education and professions.
The first is now completed and paid for by the Kalamazoo Community Foundation. It was considered an important method of informing the community about the availability of the ID. The other two recommendations are connected. They recognize that the County Administration Building is open during business hours and many people work during that time and cannot afford to take time off to go the office to get their ID, particularly people who do not work/live close to the building. The goal of a mobile unit is to go to the community as an effort to ensure greater accessibility. Finally, incorporating Kalamazoo College students is part of the liberal arts education project- having them be exposed to real life issues and methods of addressing them. It also provides students experience in the policy sector that will be useful in their future education and professions.
It's estimated there are 18,000 Kalamazoo County residents who did not have picture IDs. Can you tell us where this estimate came from?
The figure came out of community members converting the national average to local numbers.
The figure came out of community members converting the national average to local numbers.
How does your academic training help your understanding of immigration issues, in general?
It allows me to see both the big picture of how people come to be in the country and the difficulties in accessing permanent and stable statuses while also providing insight into their day-to-day lives. That is, it facilitates an understanding of actual immigration processes and legislation that make movement across borders difficult and for many deadly; the ways that exploitation is enhanced by the absence of secure statuses and the inability to access them; and how communities come together to support one another.
It allows me to see both the big picture of how people come to be in the country and the difficulties in accessing permanent and stable statuses while also providing insight into their day-to-day lives. That is, it facilitates an understanding of actual immigration processes and legislation that make movement across borders difficult and for many deadly; the ways that exploitation is enhanced by the absence of secure statuses and the inability to access them; and how communities come together to support one another.
Is there anything else you’d like to mention? (About the Kalamazoo community, or other organizations doing social justice work in Kalamazoo?)
This project did not stem from politicians, academics, or bureaucrats. It originated from the community and utilized broad partnerships with individuals who saw the value of the ID across the county. It is available to all Kalamazoo County residents, has received significant support from local businesses, and has been invaluable to communities facing various barriers in attaining a state-ID because of their lack of domicile or status, because their documents were lost while incarcerated, because the sex assigned to them at birth does not match their gender identity, or because of the difficulty in attaining identity documents for many elders in our community. In these ways, it is a grassroots initiative catered specifically to this county.
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