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1/16/03
Acceptance by U.S. authorities of the matricula consular, the identification document issued by the government of Mexico to Mexican nationals residing illegally in the United States, has been made a top foreign policy objective by the Vicente Fox administration. But, recently, the campaign has been meeting unexpected resistance around the country.
The battle centers on whether U.S. institutions should (or may) accept the cards as proof of identification. The Mexican government, which issues the matricula in the United States through consulates, church basements, and vans, argues the card is "secure identity" and a way for illegal immigrants to access public services and "dignity." Pro-borders activists in the United States argue that acceptance of the card encourages illegal immigration, is a violation of the Constitution and statutory law, and opens the way to similar moves by the governments of Guatemala, China, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and others.
Both sides characterize widespread acceptance of the card as a "stealth amnesty" for illegal aliens, and the battle over the Mexican ID is quickly taking center stage in the raging debate between supporters of current record-breaking levels of mass immigration and those working for a more moderate immigration policy.
Friends of Immigration Law Enforcement (FILE) has sent thousands of notices to public officials and financial institutions around the country detailing the various legal objections to acceptance of the matricula card. One municipality that received a FILE notice was Holland, MI, where a commission recently recommended that the city officially recognize the cards.
FILE's notice to Holland seems to have sparked an intense debate within city government, and the Holland City Council has decided to meet this Wednesday evening, Jan. 15, for a "study session" before it votes on acceptance of the card at a later date. Even though the council is not inviting public comment at the meeting, Antonio Meza Estrada, the consul of Mexico in Detroit, is expected to travel across the state to attend the meeting.
If the meeting follows the pattern of similar meetings around the country, the Mexican consul general will arrive accompanied by a large contingent of illegal aliens in an attempt to intimidate the council members into submitting to the Mexican government's demands. These tactics are raising concern in some quarters over the political implications of allowing an aggressively interventionist foreign government to establish a huge database (to which U.S. authorities have no access) of its citizens residing illegally within the United States.
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Simple card, complex debate (Holland Sentinel)
thehollandsentinel.net
Sample of FILE notice sent to Holland, MI
Sample of FILE notice
Pelosi and sham Mexican ID cards in government buildings (American Patrol)
American Border Patrol
+== TAKE POSITIVE ACTION ==+
According to an article in Sunday's Holland Sentinel (linked above), Holland Mayor Al McGeehan supports official acceptance of the illegal alien ID card.
Mayor Al McGeehan
mayor@ci.holland.mi.us
Follow up: It is important that activists who take the time to answer the "calls to action" recommended in this newsletter know that their efforts make a difference. In the last issue of this ezine, we asked activists to call new House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and express their views on her reported backing of the acceptance of the illegal alien matricula card to access a federal building in San Francisco. The response to our, and other groups', calls and the efforts of the incomparable Congressman Tom Tancredo, resulted in an torrent of public outrage.
Hopefully, Nancy Pelosi has begun to understand just how out-of-touch she is with the American people on illegal immigration. In case you didn't
get around to it last week:
Nancy Pelosi
sf.nancy@mail.house.gov
(202) 225-4965Webmaster note: See Matricula Consular - The Mexican Sham ID Card FAQ
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