Councilman Carlos Menchaca, the chair of the city council's immigration committee is pushing back against an administration proposal to install a smart chip in the city's municipal identity card, which was launched by the de Blasio administration in 2015.

"The risks associated with the mayor's proposal are too great. By partnering with financial entities to execute their proposal, the city would subject IDNYC cardholders to a set of privacy standards outside the city's scope," Menchaca said.

Last year, the city began looking at options to add an EMV chip, like those found on debit and credit cards as an option to provide financial services, a long sought after goal of the administration to help underserved communities connect to banking options.

But immigration and privacy rights activists say the technology would amount to government sponsored surveillance. Advocates like Natalia Aristizabal, co-director of organizing at Make the Road NY, also worry the information will be available to what they say is a hostile federal government seeking to target undocumented immigrants.

"We believe that in a moment where a lot of immigrants are being attacked, especially by the federal government that we need city government to continue to reinforce our data, our safety and that is why we are for the ID staying the way that it is," Aristizabal said.

But de Blasio administration officials promise that New Yorkers information will be secure and protected. They also stress the chip will be an optional feature when the first round of IDNYC renewals begins next year. Bitta Mostofi, Commissioner of the Mayor's Office of Immigrant Affairs told the Council the cards would be safe.

"Anyone who has any misgivings about holding a chip card would be entirely free to receive one without one," Mostofi said.

Menchaca's proposal does not yet have a majority of support in the Council. If the bill fails to pass the city could begin installing the new technology as early as next year.