The California Assembly on Monday approved legislation, AB 522, that would allow Mexican illegal and legal aliens to obtain city and county services by displaying an identification card issued by the Mexican Consulate.
 
Allowing Mexican nationals to obtain a form of valid identification would permit them to acquire marriage or business licenses, borrow library books and among other things, obtain senior citizen discounts on public transportation or at the movies.
 
This card does not give illegal aliens any new rights and cannot be used for obtaining welfare or other federal benefits like health care. It does not alter their citizenship status and it will not magically improve their lives. It is simply a form of identification.
 
The California Coalition for Immigration Reform, in what it has termed a “treacherous bill,” resist AB 522 because the group believes that the cards will be a “free pass for terrorism.”
 
How does allowing a 60-year-old Mexican woman to ride the bus for a cheaper rate endanger our safety? Weren’t most of the Sept.11 terrorists passport and driver’s license holders? Are we really going to allow the Sept.11 tragedy to support the rationale for more hatred?
 
To acquire the Matricula Consular card, applicants must provide a birth certificate, proof of current address and other personal identifying information, including a contact in Mexico, and proof that they have lived in the United States for six months or longer.
 
In California, the cards are accepted by nine banks, more than 80 police departments, 27 sheriff’s departments and three state agencies. The cards are issued by the 10 Mexican consulates in California and each card displays the holder’s name, photo, address and date of birth.
 
This information is vital to law enforcement personal if they are investigating a crime.
 
“Officers could identify immigrants quickly, and undocumented residents could report crimes without fear of being taken into custody for lacking proper identification,” a representative for the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Sarah Mercer, told the Sacramento Bee.
 
Despite the benefits of such a card, opponents continue with their, “I’ve-got-my-mind-made-up-don’t-confuse-me-with-facts” attitude.
 
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is refusing to recognize the Mexican-issued identification cards, despite Victorville City Council’s unanimous endorsement of the cards earlier this week, the Daily Press reported. If the bill passes Senate, then San Bernardino will be forced to accept the cards.
 
Also, legislation was introduced in Arizona, Colorado and Iowa this year to prohibit acceptance of the Mexican ID cards.
 
Gov. Gray Davis has taken no position on the bill, most likely because the people benefiting from AB 522 cannot vote.
 
U.S. citizens do not have to worry. Illegal alien children will not be getting welfare or healthcare because of this card — nor will Mexican nationals hatch terrorism plots and implement them as soon as they receive their identification cards.
 
The cards simply make it easier for the government and law enforcement to monitor and identify a tremendous part of the population that would otherwise go unmonitored.
 
We live in California. California is host to a great minority of illegal Mexican nationals. We must deal with this issue. Narrow-minded citizens and lawmakers refuse to deal with the issue in any real sense. They use blanket statements like “they should all go home.” This kind of mentality does nothing to ease the problem. The card does help. It makes life more bearable for the people simply trying to make a better life for themselves and their families and it makes our lives a little easier by giving law enforcement and the government an easier way  to deal with Mexican immigrants.

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