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Mexican ID cards caught in politics

By Fernando Quintero, Rocky Mountain News
October 27, 2006
"Illegal aliens don't leave home without it."
That's what one ad attacking Democratic Colorado House candidate Joe Rice says about the Mexican government-issued ID cards called matricula consular, which Rice supported when he was mayor of Glendale.

The cards, which have been the target of critics, are now caught up in election-year politics.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Bill Ritter has blasted his Republican rival, Bob Beauprez, over his vote in Congress in 2004 to allow banks to accept matricula consular cards.

Many banks allow the cards to be used for opening accounts, including Heritage Bank, which was founded by Beauprez.

A spokesman for Beauprez said in August that the congressman's vote was one against regulatory burdens on business. He also emphasized that Beauprez had left Heritage Bank before it began accepting the IDs.

Critics say the cards make it easier for illegal immigrants to live and work in the U.S., by giving them a valid form of identification.

In 2003, the Colorado legislature passed a law forbidding state and local governments from accepting the cards. Thirty-two other states accept them as valid forms of identification, said Juan Carlos Mendoza, Denver's deputy consul general of Mexico.

Still, the cards continue to be issued by the Mexican consulate in Denver. Since July 2002, more than 130,000 cards have been given out in Colorado.

"The cards are issued to all Mexican nationals living abroad, regardless of their immigration status," Mendoza said.

He said the main purpose of the cards is to register Mexican citizens so they can access consular services. The cards also help relatives and authorities in Mexico locate a person in case of emergency.

Mendoza added that Colorado law enforcement officers find them beneficial in identifying criminals and victims.

Critics, such as Greenwood Village Republican Matt Dunn, Rice's opponent for the District 38 seat, say that the cards are not "verifiable ID." He said they are easily counterfeited and "blur the line between legal and illegal immigrants."

Rice said this week that his decision to accept the Mexican IDs was an informed one endorsed by local law enforcement officials.

"We saw it as a public safety issue," he said. "Everyone should have an ID."

Mendoza said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs follows a strict verification process in issuing the cards to Mexican nationals.

All immigrants who request them must provide birth certificates or Mexican electoral credentials along with their photo and proof that they reside in the U.S.

About the cards

What is a matricula consular?

• A card issued to Mexican nationals living abroad for ID purposes.

How are they used?

• They allow access to services, and help relatives and Mexican authorities locate citizens abroad. They are accepted as valid ID by some banks. Use by Colorado state and local governments was outlawed in 2003.

How are they obtained?

• Mexican nationals must go to a Mexican consulate office with proof of nationality, identity and residency, and a $27 fee.