| Written by Maria Elena Salinas |
| Monday, February 03 2003 |
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| It looks very much like a driver's license, but it doesn't give you license to drive. It allows Mexicans to go in and out of their country, but it's not a passport. It seems like a good idea for the purpose of identifying Mexicans living abroad, but it has created a national drive to make its use illegal. The Mexican government calls it "matricula consular," but critics in the United States call it "the illegal-alien id card."
Of course, it is not an illegal-alien id card, but that description plays very well with those fighting to block the use of the Mexican consular identification card. They feel it legitimizes the presence of undocumented immigrants in the United States. What the matricula consular actually does is legitimize the existence of Mexican nationals, regardless of their immigration status in this country. It serves as confirmation that a person exists and that he or she is a Mexican citizen living in the United States, period.
When the ID card is given to Mexican nationals by one of the 47 consulates in this country, it is made clear to those who receive it that it is for the sole purpose of identifying themselves. It is not meant to take the place of an official document provided by the U.S. government. It is not meant to be used as a driver's license. Nor is it a step toward legalization.
Everyone needs to identify themselves when they travel, when they rent or order utilities for their home, even when they check out a library book. It's particularly useful when opening a bank account or identifying themselves to a law-enforcement officer. That is why more than 70 banking institutions and about 800 police departments in the United States accept the consular ID card.
Several states, however, have flat-out rejected it, and others are being pressured to follow suit. The Arizona Legislature is considering a bill to disallow the use of the card. In San Francisco, it was approved as proper id to enter the federal building, but a couple of weeks later, that permission was dismissed. In Colorado, dozens of banks received letters from anti-immigrant vigilante groups, warning them of possible legal consequences. They warn of the dangers of accepting money from unknown sources, of money laundering, racketeering or even funding of terrorist activities.
That is ridiculous. Mexican immigrants -- legal or not -- are not terrorists. As a matter of fact, the people who might be using the matricula consular are actually injecting into the U.S. banking system millions of dollars in lucrative resources, which the work of immigrants generates. The U.S. government reported that last year alone, Mexicans sent home $12 billion. That represents a fraction of the amount of money they use for living expenses while living in the United States.
The matricula consular has existed for more than 100 years. The heightened security of 9/11 prompted the Mexican government to enforce its distribution. It was first accepted by banks in Los Angeles about one year ago. Within the first six weeks, Mexican nationals had deposited $50 million, an average of $3,000 per person.
Ambassador Manuel Rodriguez Arriaga, consul general of Mexico in Miami, says the document should be considered a safeguard in these times of high security. "U.S. authorities and government institutions benefit with this document by having no doubts about a person's identity. Our government takes responsibility for these identification cards."
Mexico is not the only country to have a consular identification card. Guatemala also provides one, and other Central American countries are considering it. France gives all of its citizens abroad an identification card. And just about every country in the world, including the United States, has a registry of its citizens who are living in another country. Anti-immigrant groups should spend less time and effort fighting against a harmless little piece of laminated paper, and work to overcome the real threats to our country: terrorism and a slumping economy. |
