Matrícula Consular

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Matrícula Consular ("Consular Registration") is an identification card issued by the Government of Mexico through its consulate offices. The official purpose of the card is to demonstrate that the bearer is a Mexican national living outside of Mexico. Similar consulate identification cards are issued to citizens of Argentina, Colombia, El Salvador, and Honduras [2].

In the United States, several states, municipalities, and businesses accept the Matrícula Consular as an official form of identification. The Matricula Consolar, like all Consular ID, is permitted to be used in this fashion by the USA Patriot Act, signed into law by Congress on October 26, 2001.

On September 14, 2004 Congress voted down a motion to prevent financial institutions from accepting consular IDs. ^[1]

1 Controversy
2 Security Issues
3 External link
4 References

[edit] Controversy

This practice is controversial, and is often opposed by critics of illegal immigration. These critics often state that a passport suffices as proper identification for anyone temporarily in the country. These critics often blame the agencies that accept the Consular ID as opposed to the legislation that allows it.

A Mexican national legally residing in the United States would already have a valid Mexican passport and a Valid U.S. Visa, or a U.S.-issued "Green Card" (I-551 form), and therefore, the "Matricula Consular" card would not be necessary.

[edit] Security Issues

The neutrality of this section is disputed.
Please see the discussion on the talk page.

U.S. law enforcement officials also cite that "Matricula Consular" cards are issued by Mexican Consulate without checking the authenticity of the applicant's supporting documentation. Mexican nationals often provide a birth certificate to Mexican Consulates in order to obtain the "Matricula Consular" card. Mexican birth certificates are easily forged and can be purchased on the black market for a few dollars.

U.S. Federal and local drug enforcement agents have discovered that numerous illegal alien, Mexican national narcotics traffickers obtain "Matricula Consular" cards under the names of aliases and that their use in the United States presents the U.S. with a serious criminal threat.[3]

In a documented case, anti-illegal immigration activist D.A. King, a U.S. citizen, obtained three Matrículas with his picture, and widely publicized one of them across the internet to illustrate the problems he sees with the document. The card in question bears the name "Al Qaida Gonzalez."^[2]

Bruce DeCell, a retired New York City police officer who lost a son-in-law in 9/11, obtained a forged Matrícula with his name, and successfully used it as identification to enter the headquarters of the Department of Homeland Security. DeCell's card, which he obtained from a street vendor in California, gives his address as "123 Fraud Blvd." in "Staton Island", New York, and his birthplace as "Tijiuna", B.C.^[3]