Napa
May Follow in Footsteps of Recent Caslistoga Decision
Napa
Valley Register
February
9, 2003
Roseann
Keegan
As
a Mexican identification card used chiefly by illegal immigrants gains
acceptance at a growing number of U.S. banks and cities, the movement is gaining
speed in Napa County.
The
city of Calistoga formally adopted the Matricula Consular de Alta Seguridad as a
valid form of identification last month and the city of Napa may be next.
Even
though Mexican consulates around the world have offered the card to Mexican
citizens for more than 130 years, its use in the United States has picked up
steam over the past two years.
U.S.
banks such as Wells Fargo, Bank of America and Citibank, eager to manage the
billions earned by undocumented workers each year, have begun accepting it for
checking accounts. The Vintage Bank, with three branches in Napa and one in St.
Helena, recently jumped on board.
Elected
officials in U.S. cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Oakland
and Watsonville have followed by accepting the ID for use in city business such
as borrowing books from libraries and entering municipal buildings.
Proponents
are quick to point out that the consulate document does imply or allow any legal
status in the United States. Further, it does not satisfy the identity
requirements for newly hired workers (the I-9 record) or allow someone to obtain
a drivers license.
"It
is nothing more than this: If I went to Mexico and I went to a bank and wanted
to cash a check, I would pull out my California driver license and expect that
to be accepted as a valid form of ID," said Calistoga Mayor Mario
Callegari, who met with consulate officials last year to learn more about the
cards. "Why would I not recognize their country's ID card?"
Napa
Chief of Police Dan Monez wants to lobby city officials and local businesses to
take Calistoga's lead.
"In
many cases people have no ID, and there is nothing we can use to identify
them," Monez said. "If they're injured, hurt or killed, there's no way
to notify the family.
"I
think it's an alternative to having nothing," he said.
To
get the word out, Monez is working with Teresa Foster, immigration specialist
and co-host of the local public access show "Al Punto."
"Each
organization or business will have the freedom to choose or accept (the
cards)," Foster said. "They know that Hispanics are working, they're
making money and they're willing to spend that money. They're doing good to the
economy in California, especially here."
To
obtain the $29 card from the Mexican government, applicants must produce a birth
certificate, a proper form of Mexican identification and proof of U.S. residency
for at least six months. Each card, valid for five years, bears a photo of its
owner, a signature, a legal address and a serial number that can be used by the
consulate to identify the cardholder.
Alvaro
Palamera of Jalisco, Mexico, has been working and living in
Calistoga
resident Leticia Rodriguez and her husband Manuel, both from Michoacan, have had
their consulate cards for five years.
"It
helped me open an account at Bank of America," Rodriguez said.
But
opponents wonder why the Mexican government is abetting its citizens in breaking
U.S. immigration law. Hate e-mails have appeared in the inbox of Calistoga
Police Chief Mike Dick, questioning his motivation for pushing the cards.
"The
people sounded like they were anti-immigration, calling me names, stating that I
was a traitor to my country," Dick said. "The Matricula is nothing
more than an ID from the Mexican consulate."
Although
it's acknowledged that Matricula card holders are in the country illegally, the
service the Mexican government is providing is nevertheless legitimate. A
government has internationally recognized responsibilities to assist and protect
its nationals when they are abroad. Providing identity documents, whether a
passport in the case of loss, or a Matricula to an
Dick
said.
Still,
it's not accepted countywide. California Highway Patrol Officer Oscar Torres
said officers accept Mexican licenses or voting cards as forms of ID, but CHP
policy is to not honor the Matricula cards.
"When
we get the Matricula cards as ID we write their names down as an A.K.A.,"
Torres said. "We have no other choice, otherwise we're writing a bunch of
tickets with 'John Doe' on them."
The
county sheriff's department, which also contracts police services for the cities
of Yountville and American Canyon, said there isn't a formal policy for the
Matricula cards in place, although they are accepted.
"It
does not suffice for a driver license, but if someone examines it for an ID, and
it appears to be valid, it's accepted on a case-by-case basis up to the
deputy," Capt. Mike Loughran said.
"It's
not just a Hispanic thing or a racial thing. If you're a 40-year-old Caucasian
driving down the road, you have to verify who you are. I've seen deputies accept
a college student body card as photo ID," Loughran said.
In
St. Helena, Police Chief Bert Johansson said his department has been accepting
the Matricula card for years, so he sees no need to bring the issue to a formal
resolution before the City Council.
"Ninety-nine
percent of the time we don't care about their immigration status,"
Johansson said. "So when we talk to folks, all we want to know is, Who the
hell are we talking to?'"