The Durham City Council, which has a history of bending over in a politically correct position when it comes to illegal aliens, is considering allowing the use of the sham Mexican I.D., the Matricula Consular, as a valid I.D. for business and official purposes in Durham. If it does, that means that Durham places more credence in the official nature of the Matricula than most Mexican states, which don’t recognize it at all.
“Those things are so rife with fraud, it’s ridiculous,” said Hans von Spakovsky, a former civil-rights attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice who is now a senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation. “No major bank in Mexico accepts the cards. Twenty-two out of 32 Mexican states reject it.”
The push for the Matricula here is suspicious, given its lack of standing in its home country. The truth is, there is no need for it if a person is in this country legally. If they are here legally, they will have plenty of valid identification documents, including legal social security cards and legal drivers licenses. The only people who need this sham I.D. are people who can’t get legal documents from this country.
The Hispanic activist groups, like El Centro Hispano in Durham, claim that the acceptance of the matricula will prevent lengthy legal procedures. What would those procedures be? Deportation proceedings? If Durham approves this, and becomes the first city in the country gullible enough to do it, they will be giving illegals a gateway document for further fraud.
The Matricula says nothing about its carrier’s legal presence in this country. All it says is that the person is a citizen of Mexico. If this is so important, why aren’t Nicaragua, El Salvador and other central and South American countries pushing for their citizens to have similar home-country documents?
The country of Mexico is thumbing its nose at our laws, as well. Carolina Journal has documented the efforts of the Mexican Consulate to distribute the Matricula like candy to any and all comers. They have used public high schools in the state as distribution points, which is outrageous in itself. Officials, and others cowed by groups like El Centro, will be hesitant to refuse to accept the Matricula for purposes for which is is not valid, lest they be accused of racism or xenophobia.
The Durham City Council should think about this country and our state and city for once, and not about how politically correct and progressive they will be portrayed by the media. This is a bad idea and it should be voted down. El Centro should turn its efforts into promoting legal citizenship rather than advocating the wholesale breaking of this nation’s immigration laws.
