Matrícula Consular
[3] On September 14, 2004, the United States Congress voted down a motion to prevent financial institutions from accepting consular IDs.
[7] Representative Tom Price announced that the Committee on Financial Services would be convening hearings on the methods permitted by the United States Department of the Treasury applying to the use of the Matricula Consular by banking institutions for the purposes of verification of identity.
"[9] Former New Jersey Representative Scott Garrett (Republican) stated that the use of MCAS (Matrícula Consular de Alta Seguridad) cards by undocumented immigrants weakens the measures established by the U.S. Congress after "9/11 to safeguard American businesses and financial institutions against fraud and abuse".
[4] U.S. law enforcement officials also cite that Matrícula Consular cards are issued by Mexican Consulate without checking the authenticity of the applicant's supporting documentation.
[3] An FBI agent said that "Mexican consulates issued CID cards to individuals lacking any proof of identification, as long as they fill out a questionnaire and satisfy the consular official that they are who they claim to be.
[5] In January 2003, Nancy Pelosi, the ranking Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives, pushed for a trial arrangement to give holders of Matricula Consular cards access to the Phillip Burton Federal Building in San Francisco.
The mayor's office issued a press release stating that the card would prevent those in the Mexican immigrant community lacking an acceptable identification from being jailed or deported when committing minor offenses.
[3] The United States Department of Agriculture warned that the Matricula Consular card is not sufficient to determine legal immigration status nor eligibility for the U.S. Food Stamp Program.
[15] The Center for Immigration Studies, a conservative research organization, argued in a research brief that the Matricula is becoming a shield that hides criminal activity for two reasons: first, the holder's identity was not verified when the card was issued, and second, police in jurisdictions that accept the Matricula are less likely to run background checks on card holders picked up for minor infractions.
It is issued in accordance with Mexican privacy law and international legal instruments signed by Mexico and the United States such as the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1963.
Members of the Mexican community can use these ID cards for business transactions, which will make it easier to use formal financial services.
The main argument was a lack of perceived security and reliability In the last decade, there has been lengthy and complex work done to get the Consular Identification Card accepted again in Arizona.
The official visits included, among others, 30 Arizona mayors and 30 police officers, seven county sheriffs, several state legislators, chambers of commerce and members of academia.
Doug Ducey signed the new bill, which allow authorities in Arizona to accept consular ID cards such as MCAS, into law.
