San Diego Metropolitan - The Connection

Nearly 1 million United States citizens live or work in Mexico, about 170,000 of them on the Baja California Peninsula. When these individuals take up residence in Mexico, the U.S. Consulate advises them to fill out a Warden registration. This compilation of personal and contact information is then kept by the consulate for reference in emergency situations.

Yet neither that document, nor any counterpart, is the equivalent of Mexico’s Matricula Consular issued on request to Mexican citizens living in a foreign country. That Matricula Consular has been getting a lot of media attention and is the subject of much confusion and speculation on the motives for its issuance.

A Matricula is an identification card signifying the information contained on the card is verifiable, in this case by the Mexican Consulate. The card attests the bearer has proven to the consulate’s satisfaction that he is a Mexican citizen living within the corresponding service area.

The front side contains a photograph of the holder along with present address, permanent address in Mexico and expiration date (five years from date of issuance). The back attests, in Spanish, that the bearer is a Mexican citizen and, in English, that “This is an ID issued by the Mexican Government.” Also found on the back is the signature of the card holder and issuing consular official. On both sides appears a printed serial number.

Anti-immigration individuals and groups, or anti-illegal immigration as they prefer to be called, say this is one more indication of how Mexico flaunts our sovereignty. They say the card was created and is being issued to provide legitimacy to those here illegally. They say only illegal immigrants need the ID because those here legally have other forms of ID and don’t need the Matricula Consular. And they say these IDs pave the way for amnesty, which they oppose. While there may be other arguments, these are the most often cited, though not necessarily in such civil language.

Started in 1871, the Matricula Consular is 131 years old. It is not a recent creation but recently, has been given new meaning, and potentially broader usage, by some smart marketing and is attracting hundreds of thousands of Mexicans in the United States to obtain the ID.

Mexico is within its rights to issue identification documents to its citizens, but federal, state or municipal governments in the United States are not obligated to recognize the ID as official. Nor for that matter are private sector businesses such as banks.

So what’s all the fuss? It starts with a number of separate issues suddenly coming together and goes back to the election of Vicente Fox as Mexico’s new president.

One of the first proclamations President Fox issued after dethroning the 71-year rule of the PRI was an acknowledgment that Mexicans who traveled to the United States in search of work were “heroes.” He soon followed with an aggressive campaign to win amnesty for Mexicans illegally living in this country, and for a guest-worker program that would potentially allow the legal annual employment of as many as 1.5 million workers.

On the hero issue, from a Mexican perspective, Fox is right.

The economically and politically disenfranchised Mexicans, who for decades were ignored by their own government, make great sacrifice and endanger their lives to travel north in search of work to support families. Their motivation is not much different from those heroes from centuries past who migrated from Europe.

Many will say European immigrants came here legally. Thus, they have the right to the title, but not Mexicans entering illegally. Unfortunately, this argument ignores the power of desperation that is as old as American history. It also ignores the reality that a poor person from any country cannot obtain a U.S. entry visa for economic reasons. Finally, the argument fails to acknowledge that numerous U.S. industries encourage illegal immigrants by illegally hiring them once they arrive.

Fox’s amnesty and guest-worker proposals are in need of greater debate. They already face tremendous resistance within the U.S. population, including a fair number in the Latino community. And since Sept. 11, talk about welcoming foreigners, any foreigners, is not popular.

So when the Matricula Consular issue surfaced and it became publicly known that some law enforcement agencies and banks were recognizing the documents, the anti-Matricula Consular dam burst.

Heading up this publicity was news that the Los Angeles Mexican Consulate had persuaded local banks to not only accept the Matricula Consular as proper ID for opening bank accounts, but also to promote the idea.

And why not? It makes good business sense.

Bendixen & Associates, a research firm, reports 54 percent of Mexicans living in the United States last year lacked a bank account. Those same individuals sent back $9.1 billion to family members in Mexico, mostly through wire companies that charged relatively high fees. The annual income earned by the non-banking group exceeds $30 billion.

New clients are a bonanza for banks. Customers can access lower cost money transfers, buy cheaper money orders, avoid the high cost of paycheck cashing businesses and leave with the peace of mind that comes with not having to carry large amounts of cash.

As the Matricula news spread, in part due to bank advertising, all 48 Mexican Consulates in the United States were overwhelmed with applicants. At $29 per ID and $7 per photograph, the boost in customers created a tidy revenue stream for the consulates. For example, the Los Angeles Consulate issued more than 50,000 IDs in first quarter 2001, earning it about $1.8 million. San Francisco and San Diego each issued more than 20,000.

As Matricula-related business boomed at banks and consulates, local governments and law enforcement agencies took notice. The locals were seeking a better way to communicate with immigrants and protect them from crimes. Many decided to accept the Matricula Consular as official ID, primarily in law enforcement situations.

In June, the San Diego Police Chiefs and Sheriff’s Association joined law enforcement agencies from Los Angeles, Orange County, San Francisco and Oakland in voting to recognize the Matricula Consular.

Similar approvals are taking place throughout the United States. Not as substitutes for a visa or driver’s license, nor as a way to stay out of jail or avoid deportation, but simply as a pragmatic acknowledgment that the ID officially is issued and recognized. For many, the decision is good business.

Patrick Osio Jr. can be reached through San Diego Metropolitan or by e-mail at posiojr@aol.com.