DURHAM -- Is an official Mexican ID official enough for Durham? The City Council will decide Monday.
Pilar Rocha-Goldberg, director of El Centro Hispano in Durham, asked the council to approve a resolution recognizing the Matricula Consular as a valid form of identification. She spoke on behalf of groups called Durham Bill of Rights Defense Committee and the Durham Immigrant Solidarity Committee.
Members sounded ready to approve the request at a work session last week, but they put off a formal decision until their next regular meeting at the request of Councilman Howard Clement. "I need more information," Clement said.
City Councilman Mike Woodard said Friday that he had received more than 100 e-mail messages and phone calls about the Matricula Consular, "slightly more than half in favor." Most of those favorable came from Durham residents, he said, while many of those opposed came from as far off as Wisconsin, Michigan and California.
Deputy Police Chief Steve Mihaich said the department already accepts the Matricula Consular "as it would any other out-of-state ID.
"We've met with the Mexican consulate and conducted training" for officers on the document and how to test it for authenticity, Mihaich said.
According to the proposed resolution, foreigners in the past could qualify for a North Carolina driver's license to use as ID if they had a federal Tax Identification Number. Now, applicants must have a Social Security number but still need to prove their identities on occasion.
The Matricula Consular is a standard document issued to Mexican citizens and recognized under international law, said Carlos Flores, Mexican Consul General for the Carolinas, who attended the work session with Rocha-Goldberg.
"The government in Mexico normally would accept an identification document ... that is issued in the United States to an American citizen," he said. "We are arguing for reciprocity."
The card carries the holder's full name, date and place of birth, address, issuance and expiration dates, the location of the consulate that issued it and a seven-digit identification number. In order to obtain one, people must be able to show that they have lived in the United States for at least six months and that they have a Mexican birth certificate.
The Matricula Consular is accepted by many banks, and as proof of residency by the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles provided the card was issued by the consulate in North Carolina. In 2002, the Carrboro Board of Aldermen passed a resolution calling on its congressional delegation and state and local governments to encourage acceptance of the Matricula Consular.
"It's just another form of identification," Durham Councilman Farad Ali said. "It's an official photo ID for Mexican citizens. It doesn't give privileges or rights in our state or community or our country; it just establishes a positive ID."
Durham is the first North Carolina jurisdiction where authorities have been formally asked to recognize the Matricula Consular. Clement asked why, since Flores' office is in Raleigh. Flores said groups in Durham were already working on the request when he began the job a year ago.
