Sebastopol accepting Mexican identification cards
pressdemocrat.com
By MARTIN ESPINOZA
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Published: Saturday, September 10, 2011 at 3:00 a.m.
Last Modified: Saturday, September 10, 2011 at 10:28 p.m.

Sebastopol's police department is now recognizing Mexican consular ID cards as valid identification, a move that could keep some illegal immigrants from landing in jail, where they would most likely be flagged by federal immigration officials.

Police officers in California have the authority to arrest drivers who cannot provide valid identification, and Sebastopol officials have strictly enforced that law, Police Chief Jeffrey Weaver said.

The city's new policy of accepting a consular ID card (known in Spanish as a matricula consular) will affect a “very small group of people,â€