http://www.tucsoncitizen.com/daily/local/10395.php

Mexicans here cared for by mobile consulate
ID cards, health-care information among services provided
CLAUDINE LoMONACO
Tucson Citizen
About 50 people, most with children in tow, converged Saturday at Sunnyside High School seeking services from the Mexican government.
"We're too busy working and taking care of the children to come during the week," said Claudia Molina, who arrived with her husband and three children.
The "mobile consulate," as the program is known, is a way for Mexico to serve the increasing number of Mexican nationals living in the United States, explained consulate spokesman Alejandro Ramos.
Like most, Molina and her husband came to get a matricula consular card, an official government identification issued by Mexico. The Mexican government started issuing the cards about five years ago to help Mexican nationals living in the United States better access banking and other services. The card also serves as a passport when traveling to Mexico.
About a dozen employees of the Tucson consulate office set up shop in Sunnyside's library with Xerox machines, computers, and a photo studio to process the requests for the ID cards.
"I felt safer with the card," said Molina's mother, Esther Garcia, who got her matricula card in 2002. "Like my government was looking out for me."
Garcia came to the country illegally 10 years ago, when she was 50. She married a legal permanent resident, who filed paperwork to legalize her status. Even though her immigration application was under review, she was ineligible for an Arizona state ID and signed up for a matricula card as soon as it became available.
On Saturday, she brought her daughter and son-in-law, who works in construction and landscaping, to sign up for their ID cards
Last year, the Arizona Legislature passed a bill to forbid government agencies from accepting the cards, but Gov. Janet Napolitano vetoed the measure. The Senate passed an identical measure earlier this year and the House may attempt to get it on the November ballot.
While at the mobile consulate, Molina and her husband, both natives of Queretaro, in central Mexico, were also able to get information on free or discounted health-care clinics for their children. Representatives from the consulate Protection Department were also available to answer questions from Mexicans looking for missing relatives.
The staff of the Tucson consulate packs up its gear and sets out for various locations around Pima and Pinal Counties about once a month. They have recently held mobile programs in Coolidge, Casa Grande, and Eloy, Ramos said.