Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a New York City-wide ID card program that garners cultural benefits last Thursday at the Bronx Zoo.

New York City plans to start issuing the cards next year in an effort to make life easier for undocumented immigrants and local New Yorkers. The cards will come with free tickets or discounts at 33 of the city’s leading cultural institutions, including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, the Bronx Zoo, the New York Botanical Garden, the American Museum of Natural History, the Snug Harbor Cultural Center and many others.

The cards are rumored to be available to any city resident over 14, regardless of their legal status.

The freebies are meant to encourage cultural curiosity among immigrants and New Yorkers alike who cannot afford to participate in the arts.

"We're looking at this as an investment in the future," said Brooklyn Museum Director Arnold L. Lehman.

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