February 21, 2003

"Mexican ID opens doors for undocumented workers in U.S."

I created a thread here about the Dallas Morning News article "Mexican ID opens doors for undocumented workers in U.S." The subtitle of the article is 'Critics say 'matricula' is a tool to facilitate illegal immigration', which in a way summarizes the whole article: it's mostly pro-Matricula Consular, with a few anti-MC comments thrown in for a semblance of balance.

Of particular note:

The administration has convened a working group � involving the departments of Homeland Security, Justice, State, Treasury and other agencies � to examine whether the card should be accepted by federal officials.

I'll have to find and post a link to this working group if one is available.

"And, if by identifying our compatriots abroad we can also help them open bank accounts in the United States and ease their travel back to Mexico, then we're happy with the added bonus," said Roberto Rodr�guez, the Mexican Foreign Relations Ministry's chief of consular affairs...
"For the life of me I have no clue how a matricula card can expedite the legal process toward legalization," he said. "One thing you can't fault these groups [fighting the matricula] for is a lack of wild imagination."

"Travel back to Mexico?" Who is he trying to kid? And, what's with the word "compatriots?" Is that the new euphemism for illegal aliens? And, I guess I must have a wild imagination, because Mexico has previously admitted that their plan was to get in steps what they couldn't get in one fell swoop, as I covered here.

Mexico's 47 U.S. consulates have launched a stepped-up registration campaign in recent months, setting up booths in churches and local halls and dispatching mobile units to immigrant-rich communities. The consuls have met with banks, local leaders and law enforcement agencies to promote the card, sparking complaints that the lobbying defies diplomatic protocol and impinges on U.S. sovereignty.

Apparently that's what Jorge Castaneda meant when he said Mexico was to begin "propagating militant activities in the U.S."

"It is not a friendly act for another country to facilitate illegal immigration into the United States," said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif. Mr. Rodr�guez dismissed the criticism as "ridiculous, short-sighted and in line with the traditional anti-immigrant rhetoric that we have heard for years."

You'll note that he said "anti-immigrant," not "anti-immigration," "anti-illegal-immigration", or "opposed to a foreign government enabling illegal immigration." When all else fails, call your opponents "anti-immigrant" and by extension racist xenophobes rather than telling the truth.

Critics charge that the banks [such as Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Bank One] are tossing aside U.S. national security concerns in a rush for profits. "We have to be very careful that our own citizens ... are not simply enticed into trying to find ways around the law simply because it may be monetarily rewarding," said Rep. Nathan Deal, R-Ga., a member of the House Immigration Reform Caucus.

Isn't profits what it's all about? Well, that and votes and irredentism.

(For a clearer picture of Matricula Consular cards, read 'IDs for Illegals: The 'Matricula Consular Advances Mexico's Immigration Agenda'. The SacBee article 'Immigrant-control groups assail popular ID cards' has more.)

Posted to Immigration_consul at February 21, 2003 02:36 PM

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