Matrcula Consular

Sample Mexican CID card (high-security) (front side) - issuance

phase in began in March 2002

Sample Mexican CID card (low-security) (back side) - issued

from 2001-2003

been issued since 1871.[2] The issue of the card has no

bearing on immigration status in the foreign country they
are residing in.[3] The purpose of the card is to demonstrate that the bearer is a Mexican national living outside
of Mexico. It includes a Government of Mexico issued
ID number and bears a photograph and address outside
of Mexico of the Mexican National to whom it is issued.

1 Use in the United States

Sample Mexican CID card (high-security) (back side) - issuance
phase in began in March 2002

Several U.S. states, municipalities, and businesses accept the Matricula Consular as an ocial form of
identication.[4][5] Two million Mexican CIDs were issued in 2002-2003.[6] A number of countries have followed suit including Guatemala, Brazil, and Ecuador.
Other countries are considering the program, including: Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras,
Nicaragua, and Peru.[2][7] Peru has specically cited the
acceptance of the Mexican CID card in the United States
as a factor contributing to its interest in issuing a CID
card.[3] The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations
denes consular functions to include issuing passports and
travel documents, and the U.S. Department of State accepts that the issuing of CID cards is a permissible consular function.[3]

Sample Mexican CID card (low-security) (front side) - issued

from 2001-2003

On September 14, 2004, the United States Congress

voted down a motion to prevent nancial institutions from
accepting consular IDs.[8] 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 verication of identity.[9]

The Matrcula Consular de Alta Seguridad (MCAS)

(Consular Identication Card) is an identication
card issued by the Government of Mexico through its
consulate oces to Mexican nationals residing outside of
Mexico.[1] Also known as the Mexican CID card, it has
1

REFERENCES

The "FDIC says about $18 billion is wired annually from

the U.S. to Mexico. Many U.S. banks have welcomed
the IDs as a way to get a cut of this activity by proting from the handling charges on the wires and increased
deposits."<ref name=""bankersonline">The Matricula
Consular: Big Problem. Retrieved 2010-08-07.</ref>

summer of 2003. In response to this, Pelosi argued that

the vote to restrict the use of the Matrcula Consular was
anti-Hispanic and that We in San Francisco know that
the Matrcula Consular works.[12] The Matricula Consular card has been embraced by the Democratic Caucus.[13][14] The Mayor of San Francisco established a policy in December 2001 for the city and county of San Francisco to accept the Mexican CID as a valid form of ID.
The mayors oce issued a press release stating that the
2 Security issues
card would prevent those in the Mexican immigrant community lacking an acceptable identication from being
New Jersey Representative Scott Garrett (Republican) jailed or deported when committing minor oenses.[3]
stated that the use of MCAS cards by illegal aliens weakens the measures established by the U.S. Congress after The U.S. Department of Agriculture warned that the Ma9/11 to safeguard American businesses and nancial in- tricula Consular card is not sucient to determine lestitutions against fraud and abuse.[4] U.S. law enforce- gal immigration status nor eligibility for the U.S. Food
ment ocials also cite that Matricula Consular cards are Stamp Program. The department also advised that home
current given the
issued by Mexican Consulate without checking the au- addresses on these cards may not be [1]
potential
mobility
of
this
population.
thenticity of the applicants supporting documentation. In
testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Federal Bank on California, a program launched by GoverBureau of Investigation (FBI) disclosed and reported that nor Arnold Schwarzenegger in December 2008, encourthe Matricula Consular card is inherently unreliable and ages nancial institutions to accept the Mexican CID,
unveriable as an identication card and is highly vul- Guatemalan CID and other CID cards as primary idennerable to fraud, regardless of its security features.[10] tication for opening bank accounts.[15]
The FBI reported that because Mexico lacks a centralized
The Center for Immigration Studies found that the madatabase for their CIDs, they are unable to prevent an intricula is becoming a shield that hides criminal activity
dividual from receiving multiple CIDs and cannot access
for two reasons: rst, the holders identity was not veried
information about a CID applicants identity.[3] An FBI
when the card was issued, and second, police in jurisdicagent said that Mexican consulates issued CID cards to
tions that accept the matricula are less likely to run backindividuals lacking any proof of identication, as long as
ground checks on card holders picked up for minor infracthey ll out a questionnaire and satisfy the consular otions. The organization found that the matricula consular
cial that they are who they claim to be.[3] U.S. Federal
is useful in the United States only for illegal aliens, since
and local drug enforcement agents have discovered that
legal immigrants, by denition, have U.S. governmentnumerous non-citizen narcotics trackers obtain Matricissued documents, and that the objective the cards supula Consular cards using aliases and that their use in the
porters is to achieve quasi-legal status for Mexican illegals
United States presents the U.S. with a serious criminal
in the United States.[16]
threat.[10]
Activists opposed to illegal immigration believe that the
In a 2003 letter to the Homeland Security Secretary Tom
High Security Mexican CID is subject to identity theft by
Ridge by the U.S. House Chairmen of the Homeland Seeven non-Mexican citizens by obtaining the Mexican IDs
curity Committee, the Judiciary Committee, the Approfor U.S. citizens.[17]
priations Subcommittee on Homeland Security, and the
Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, & Intellectual Property, it was written that the Matricula Consular can be a perfect breeder document for establish- 3 References
ing a false identity. They warned that criminals could
exploit the cards to conceal their identity as well as laun- [1] Arthur T., Foley (April 19, 2005). USDA memo SUBJECT: Mexicos Matrcula Consular Identication; TO:
der money and write fraudulent checks. They went on
All Regional Directors and Food Stamp Program (PDF).
to point out that any acceptance of the cards by the FedWashington DC: U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Archived
eral government compromises our homeland security
from the original (PDF) on 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2009by providing an opportunity for terrorists to freely move
02-16.
about the U.S., board planes and transfer funds for terrorist activities.[5]
[2] Consular Identication Cards: Domestic and Foreign
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.[11] Due to national security concerns, other
members of congress later revoked the privilege by the

Policy Implications, the Mexican Case, and Related Legislation (PDF). Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service (CRS). May 26, 2005. Retrieved 200902-17.
[3] BORDER SECURITY Consular Identication Cards
Accepted within United States, but Consistent Federal

Guidance Needed (PDF). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Accountability Oce (GAO). August 2004. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
[4] Garrett-oped-Matricular Consular cards (PDF). Washington DC: house.gov. January 9, 2004. Retrieved 200902-16.
[5] Committee Leaders Urge Curbs On Acceptance of Consular ID Cards (PDF). Washington DC: house.gov. July
10, 2003. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
[6] Matricula Consular ID Cards. Federation for American
Immigration Reform. November 2003. Retrieved 200902-17.
[7] Cooley, James A. (April 21, 2004). "Quienes Son? No
Sabemos. - Mexicos fake i.d. and its terrorist implications.. Retrieved 2009-02-17.
[8] Anti-matrcula proposal defeated (archived from the original on 2009-02-20)
[9] Congressional Committee (archived from the original on
2007-08-27)
[10] FBI Testimony Before Congress (archived from the original on 2010-04-10)
[11] Pelosi Statement on Matricula Consular Identication
Card. Washington DC: house.gov. January 3, 2003.
Archived from the original on 2010-02-08. Retrieved
2009-02-16.
[12] Pelosi: Republican Vote to Restrict Use of Matrcula
Consular Shows GOP Pro-Hispanic Rhetoric Doesn't
Match Reality. Washington DC: house.gov. July 15,
2003. Archived from the original on 2010-02-08. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
[13] Matricula Consular Restrictions Wrong for America.
Washington DC: Democratic Caucus. September 15,
2004. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
[14] Latinos Struggles in the Asset Based Economy. Washington DC: Democratic Caucus. April 6, 2005. Retrieved
2009-02-16.
[15] ID Requirements (PDF). Sacramento, CA: Bank on
California, California State Government. Archived from
the original (PDF) on 2010-10-27. Retrieved 2009-0217.
[16] IDs for Illegals: The 'Matricula Consular' Advances Mexicos Immigration Agenda, Center for Immigration Studies, http://www.cis.org/MatriculaConsular-IDCards
[17] Matricula Consular ID card. Marietta, GA: The Dustin
Inman Society. Retrieved 2009-02-17.

External links
(English) Description of the Matricula Consular de
Alta Seguridad
(Spanish) Description of the Matricula Consular de
Alta Seguridad

5 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

5.1

Text

Matrcula Consular Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matr%C3%ADcula%20Consular?oldid=635058384 Contributors: JeLuF, Edward, Mike Ege, Hajor, Dale Arnett, Wjhonson, ElBenevolente, Node ue, Kiteinthewind, Sam Hocevar, Denial land, Calwatch, Rhobite,
Aranel, Huntster, Jpgordon, Rlaager, Wtmitchell, Rjwilmsi, Ground Zero, Geeksquad, S. Neuman, SmackBot, Joseph Solis in Australia,
Scribner, StarlitGlitter, Junglemutt, After Midnight, Dking1952, DGG, U C L A Steve, Jkeene, Flintyoungblood, Jvalens783, Electric69,
Hector-rosales, Factcheck2007, Mhockey, VarlamTikhonovich, DumZiBoT, Subversive.sound, Good Olfactory, Yobot, Rigimoni, FrescoBot, H3llBot, Phobosphobia, Metrnomo, JohnChrysostom, Pepemex, EuroCarGT, ArmbrustBot and Anonymous: 30

5.2

Images

File:High-Security_Mexican_CID_Card_(back).png Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/High-Security_

Mexican_CID_Card_%28back%29.png License: Public domain Contributors: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04881.pdf Original artist:
United States Government Accountability Oce (GAO)
File:High-Security_Mexican_CID_Card_(front).png Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/High-Security_
Mexican_CID_Card_%28front%29.png License: Public domain Contributors: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04881.pdf Original artist:
United States Government Accountability Oce (GAO)
File:Low-Security_Mexican_CID_Card_(back).png Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Low-Security_
Mexican_CID_Card_%28back%29.png License: Public domain Contributors: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04881.pdf Original artist:
United States Government Accountability Oce (GAO)
File:Low-Security_Mexican_CID_Card_(front).png Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Low-Security_
Mexican_CID_Card_%28front%29.png License: Public domain Contributors: http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d04881.pdf Original artist:
United States Government Accountability Oce (GAO)

5.3

Content license

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