Matricula Consular resolution must be rescinded in Lake

By Kimberly Laurie - published on 12 Aug 2015 in The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)

Another Viewpoint is a column The News-Herald makes available so all sides of issues may be aired. Kimberly Laurie is a Willoughby resident. She is running for Lake County Commissioner. She can be reached at kimlaurie@1791.com, KimLaurieforLakeCounty.com or 216-245-3193

First, I’d like to commend News-Herald reporters Andrew Cass and Simon Husted for their July 31 article, “Local Officials Refute ‘Sanctuary City’ Claims”. It’s clear that care was taken to present both sides of the story.

Though illegal immigration is a controversial subject, it’s vital to acknowledge that it exists in our county in order to appropriately address it.

Despite what officials would have us believe, the invalidity of the Matricula Consular card is based on irrefutable fact.

The FBI researched these cards extensively and found them to be unreliable, vulnerable to fraud, and easily counterfeited.

In fact, the FBI’s findings were so concerning that the Lake County Sheriff ’s Department sent the commissioners a four-page memo citing the warning about potential dangers that passage of the resolution presented to the citizens of Lake County.

For example, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Office of Intelligence testified in 2003 that “there are two major criminal threats posed by the cards, and one potential terrorist threat: 1) The first criminal threat stems from the fact that the Matricula Consular can be a perfect breeder document for establishing a false identity; 2) The second criminal threat is that of alien smuggling, a crime that has resulted in many deaths within the past year.” The memo then cites an article from the Center for Immigration Studies which says, “The acceptance of Mexico’s Matricula Consular sets a precedent, making it almost impossible to reject similar cards presented by illegal aliens from other countries, including those which have sent terrorists to the United States in the past.”

Reason would dictate that because Matricula cards are easily forged, terrorists from other countries could create or purchase them on their own using false identities.

The article continues to warn that “The Matricula is becoming a shield that hides criminal activity…”

Finally, it addresses the campaign by the Mexican Consulate that Commissioner Daniel Troy said was the reason he introduced and implemented the resolution, stating that “the objective of this lobbying effort is to achieve quasilegal status for Mexican illegals in the United States without waiting for action from Washington.”

If the safety and wellbeing of Lake County citizens really is the priority of our commissioners, why was this warning from the Sheriff ’s Department ignored?

It was ignored in 2005, and it’s been ignored by subsequent commissioners since, who have all been in positions to rescind that resolution, including current Commissioners Judy Moran and Kevin Malecek.

Regardless of the commissioners’ feel-good reasons to pass and then maintain this resolution, they were negligent in their duty to research the consequences of implementing such a policy and must be held accountable.

 

Editor's Note:  I will admit I never heard of this until now, and I'm inclined to think this is largely true for society as a whole, so you may wish to see the history of this and the surrounding issues.  Matricula Consular