Request for Mexican ID office denied

Lake Havasu City recently denied a request by the Mexican government to set up an office in the Aquatic Center to process Mexican Consulate identity cards.

City Manager Richard Kaffenberger stated in his report before the Lake Havasu City Council Tuesday that the country of Mexico had contacted the city about opening an office here to process matricula consular ID cards. That request was turned down.

Matricula consulars are issued by Mexican Consulate offices to Mexican citizens living in the United States. The card was created in 1870 to help consulates keep in contact with Mexican nationals living in the United States.

The request was made by the owner of Juanita's Fashions, a local dress shop on Smoketree Avenue. The owner requested permission to use the Aquatic Center and arrange for a DSL Internet connection so personnel at the Mexican Consulate in Phoenix could process the cards, passports and other identification papers the applicants can use to conduct their business in America.

Alejandro Ramos, a spokesman for the Mexican Consulate office in Tucson, said state authorities have been accepting them as proof of identification, but not citizenship, since 2002.

“It just proves that the holder is a Mexican national that lives abroad,” Ramos said.

The matricula consular cards are accepted at some banks to open accounts and are considered a valid form of identification to obtain a driver's license.

They cannot be used to obtain social security numbers, work permits or access to health care programs.

It is often used in the United States by illegal immigrants, since legal immigrants, by definition, have U.S. government-issued documents.

“If you are a resident alien you have a green card,” said Kaffenberger. “You obviously have ID.”

Kaffenberger received support for denying the request from council members Margaret Nyberg, Bruce Hinman and Bob Crabtree.

Kaffenberger said he did not believe the city was the proper place for this sort of office.

“If there was a need for that kind of thing, I would have thought they would have gone to the church or some place like that,” he said. “I just don't think a municipal government facility, paid for by the taxpayers or Lake Havasu City, is the appropriate venue for this kind of thing.”

State Sen. Ron Gould (R-District 3) said he was also in support of the city's denial of the office.

“If we start doing this kind of stuff, all we're doing is encouraging people to aid and abet illegal aliens,” he said.

“If President Fox wants to help his folks out, maybe he should get rid of corruption in his own government so they quit coming across the border, rather than providing resources for them in the United States,” Gould added.

You may contact the reporter at reynolds@havasunews.com.

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