Mexico's government has been offering national ID cards to their citizens around the world for 130 years. Last year, the Mexican government started issuing higher security national identity cards through their consulate offices in the United States. The Matricula Consular de Alta Seguridad is a credit card size document that identifies a person as a national of Mexico, but it does not indicate their immigration status. The cards, intended to be used to help with events like opening bank accounts, cashing checks, getting a drivers’ license, accessing buildings and law enforcement, are digitally coded and cost $29. Controversy over government agencies and companies accepting them has risen as a number of Latin American countries have begun or will soon begin issuing similar identification cards to their nationals.
Some local government agencies are beginning to accept the cards. To help provide social services and law-enforcement protection, the Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputies are starting to accept the Matricula Consular de Alta Seguridad ID as a valid from of identification for their county's 31,000 Mexican nationals, both legal and illegal. A sheriff’s spokesman said, “We’re not delving into their status as immigrants. The reality is that there are undocumented people throughout Florida, and we’ve had tragedies where people are killed in accidents and we have difficulties identifying them and notifying their loved ones.” he sheriff’s department also seeks to aid the immigrant workers who are victims of crime and are reluctant to report crime or cooperate with police. The sheriff’s office has ordered 1,500 decoders and deputies will be trained on verifying the cards. In California, Napa's Police Chief hopes to follow the lead of Los Angeles, Oakland and Los Angeles in accepting the ID card. Several municipalities near Phoenix, Arizona now accept the ID cards for city programs.
Opponents of accepting the cards as a valid form of identification believe this would legitimize the illegal immigrant population and encourage its growth. They purport that this is an attempt by foreign governments to make an end run around U.S. law. U.S. Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) has proposed a bill that would require that federal agencies only recognize identification documents issued by federal or state authorities. In Colorado, a bill has won tentative approval in the state senate that would prohibit state and local authorities from recognizing identification not issued by the federal or state government. For humanitarian reasons, the proposed legislation will allow the cards to be used by law enforcement and the state Health Department because children born to pregnant women using these cards will be citizens. The Colorado Senate President recently gave an example where a local Mexican consulate had issued as many as three cards in different names to the same person. State Senator Ron Tupa believes that state is interfering in federal responsibilities to police the nation’s borders.
Proponents of the card state that the cards do not give immigrants more rights, imply legal residency, or give voting or driving privileges.
The Mexican government reports that more than 1 million cards were issued last year and were accepted by 74 banks, 13 states, 90 cities and 800 police agencies. Guatemala has issued 32,000 since its programmed debuted last August. The Peruvian consulates plan to start issuing ID card to their nationals in two months through a pilot program in New York, and the Honduran embassy is anticipating permission from its government to begin issuing ID’s.
