John and Ken of KFI radio in Los Angeles have posted an op-ed by Rep. David Drier on their web site in which Drier states,

It should also be recognized that Matricula Consular cards have been issued by the Mexican government since 1871, are not available to illegal immigrants, and are not accepted by any federal benefit program…

As Lonewacko observes, this is complete nonsense. The fact is matricula consular cards are widely available to illegal immigrants. VDARE columnist Allan Wall explains,

No doubt that the Mexican consular card, which has existed for a couple of decades now, has some legitimate purpose. But nowadays its main function, as far as the Mexican government is concerned, is to prevent the deportation of Mexican illegal aliens from the U.S.

That, in fact, is exactly what the Siglo, a Mexican newspaper, has reported. An article dated November 5th, 2001, written by Monica Solis, the Siglo’s correspondent in Los Angeles, California, couldn’t be clearer.

Ms. Solis bemoans the plight of Mexican illegal aliens in the U.S. who are jailed for misdemeanors and then deported without due process:

“Thus various immigrants have wound up being deported because of a traffic violation when they don’t have a driver’s license or valid ID.”

But not to worry, help is on the way! The article continues:

“The frequent deportation of Mexicans for lack of an ID card can become a thing of the past, with the approval of an initiative that proposes the acceptance of the matricula consular (issued by the Mexican government through its consulates in the entire country), as an official identification document for police authorities when they detain or intercept Mexicans.”

So the Mexican government is distributing these consular cards, on American soil, with the specific purpose of preventing the deportation of Mexican illegal aliens.