U.S. County Lets Illegal Aliens Use Mexican ID

To slash deportations and arrests for traffic offenses or lacking identification, law enforcement agencies in a major U.S. county are accepting Mexican consular cards—determined by the FBI to be unreliable and highly susceptible to fraud—as valid ID.

The move comes just a few days after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) union official told Congress that agents have been ordered not to arrest illegal aliens who don’t have criminal convictions, even when they’ve been deported by a judge. Chris Crane, president of a union that represents ICE officers, revealed the mandate while testifying before the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration last week, according to a news report.   

The outrageous federal decree is clearly part of President Obama’s stealth amnesty plan that’s already spared thousands of illegal immigrants from removal and will surely allow many more to remain in the U.S. To further the cause, California’s Sonoma County is officially accepting the fraud-prone Mexican card known as matriculár consular ID to shield illegal aliens from federal authorities.  

A coalition of influential open borders activists requested the move and authorities in the northern California county with a population of about 470,000 came through this week. They announced the new policy at a rowdy pep rally where the county’s assistant sheriff proclaimed; “today is a great day. We’re now going to accept the matriculár consular ID.” The captain of the Santa Rosa Police Department, which also patrols the area, said his officers are being trained to recognize the foreign cards and to spot “counterfeits.”

Both law enforcement officials claim the cards will reduce the number of unlicensed drivers booked into jail for traffic offenses. This, in turn, will lead to fewer deportations from the jail, according to a local newspaper that covered the festive event, which it described as part victorious political rally, part community party and part tent revival.

The consular cards are controversial because the Mexican Consulate doesn’t bother verifying applicants’ identities before issuing them. That’s why the FBI and Department of Justice have determined that the cards are not a reliable form of identification. Additionally, Mexico does not have a centralized database to coordinate the issuance of the cards, allowing multiple IDs to be issued under the same name and address.

Regardless, a handful of communities across the U.S. accept the cards and several more are considering it. In fact, officials in Dayton Ohio are currently exploring the possibility of allowing police to accept the Mexican ID. Last fall Durham South Carolina passed a law making the card official.  When the measure was approved, a local newspaper reported that the cards are so unreliable, they’re rejected by 22 of 32 Mexican states and no bank in Mexico recognizes them.