http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs. ... /1001/NEWS

Mexican ID cards will be issued

The documents can be used to open bank accounts, enroll in libraries or board airplanes.

By DANA BOONE
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
September 19, 2005

Officials from the Mexican Consulate in Omaha will visit Des Moines next month to issue identification cards to Mexican immigrants.

"An identification card is a good thing," said Ann Naffier , an immigration specialist with the American Friends Service Committee, which will host the event. "It helps you know who you're dealing with."

The Mexican government issues the matricula consular to its citizens living in the United States whether they are here legally or not. Immigrants can use the ID cards, which have been criticized by anti-immigration groups as flouting U.S. laws, to open bank accounts, enroll in libraries and board airplanes.

Para conseguir una matricula consular:

Solamente 200 tarjetas seran distribuidas. Para poder obtener las tarjetas las personas deberan tomar un numero y hacer turno hasta que lo llamen. Los nœmeros se distribuir en el 24 de septiembre en la American Friends Service Committee, 4211 Grand Ave. Las personas que obtengan numeros podran llevarlos al Consulado Mobil de 8 a.m. a 5 p.m. en el Centro Hola,
618 18th St., para recibir sus tarjetas.

• PARA MAS INFORMACION: Llame a Ann Naffier al 274-4851 o llame el Consulado de Mexico esta en Omaha al (402) 595-1841.

Consulate officials will issue 200 consular cards and 30 passports.

But first, people must wait in line Saturday for tickets that will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis at the American Friends Service Committee office at 4211 Grand Ave.

Those who get a ticket will then be entitled to get the matricula consular from consulate officials from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Hola Center, 618 E. 18th St.

"It's a great benefit to have the card," said Lilia Tinajero of Des Moines, who used her card to open an account at Wells Fargo Bank.

"Before, you couldn't open bank accounts for not having an ID, and now you can. It makes you feel more secure."

Des Moines resident Richard Miller , 60, said he opposes ID cards that allow undocumented immigrants to gain access to banking and other services. He criticized the businesses that accept the cards.

"I don't feel that we should cater to them like we do," he said. "It's just not right."

Miller isn't the only one who feels that way. U.S. Rep. Steve King, who was in Des Moines last month for an immigration control forum, has voted against legislation on the use of the matricula consular and has said the cards can be forged, used fraudulently or used by terrorists.

The card shows the date of birth, photograph and the address of the card holder.

Participants can also request passports during the visit by the consulate officials.

Miller said the cards help people who are here illegally, which is unfair to those who are here legally.

"I was born and raised here. They expect me to obey the law," Miller said. "Why should they get by?"

Said Consul of Mexico Jose Luis Cuevas in Omaha: "It should be stressed that the consular identification card is not any type of document that indicates or is related to the individual's legal status in the United States. It has nothing to do with immigration."

The ID card costs $27 and is valid for five years. To get the card, two forms of identification â€â€