Police will reject Mexican ID cards

The Mexican government's efforts to expand acceptance of its foreign residence identification program has run aground in Chelsea.

After a six-month trial, the Chelsea Police Department has decided to rescind its acceptance of the ''matricula consular" after the Federal Bureau of Investigation warned the cards were unreliable in verifying nationality.

The news that Chelsea officials have changed their minds has prompted city officials in Revere to reconsider their acceptance of the cards, which was granted just last week.

''We do not mean to offend our neighbors to the south and we have nothing against the consul officials in Boston," said Chelsea Police Chief Frank Garvin. ''But until the Mexican government addresses the process it uses for issuing these cards, they are meaningless to us."

Garvin said he is particularly concerned about the ease with which anyone can procure false Mexican birth certificates, one of the forms of documentation on which the matricula identification card is based.

''If the bottom floor is faulty, than everything above it is as well," Garvin said.

Rodrigo Marquez, the acting consul based in Boston, said the matricula consular cards are intended to help local communities verify the residency status of Mexican citizens living on a permanent or semipermanent basis in the United States.

To qualify for the identification cards, a Mexican living here must go in person to the Mexican consul office in Boston and show two other forms of identification in addition to their Mexican birth certificates to confirm both nationality and a local address, Marquez said. Local address documentation is generally a utility bill, he said.

''The matricula is different from a passport in that a passport is a travel document and the matricula confirms local residency," Marquez said. ''The matricula is what a Mexican would give to a police officer if he were stopped or to a bank to get a bank account or to register a child for school or even to get a library card."

The cards do not verify legal immigration status, Marquez said. He said his government has been issuing the card to its nationals living abroad since 1871. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Marquez said his government decided to make the cards more generally recognized in the United States to avoid harassment and discrimination against its citizens living here.

Marquez said his office is going community by community asking police departments and city halls to formally accept them. So far they are accepted by the police departments in Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville, and Worcester.

Marquez said he does not know exactly how many Mexicans live in Chelsea but to date his office has issued about 2,000 matriculas to Mexicans living in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Maine, Rhode Island, and Vermont. He estimated the population of Mexican nationals in the five states his consul represents at 36,000 and the Massachusetts Mexican population at 22,000.

''Mexicans don't report crimes when they are victims because they are afraid of how the police will react," Marquez said. ''The matricula can help them get over that fear. Additionally, when we bring the matricula program to a community, we do a cultural workshop with the police department to help them understand regional differences. For instance, if you are stopped by a police officer in Mexico, it is expected that you are to get out of your car and walk to the cruiser. Here you do that and you will get shot."

The matricula is readily accepted in several border states, he said. In New Mexico, for instance, Mexicans can present it to qualify for a driver's license, Marquez said.

''We are not asking for that here in Massachusetts, though that is something to work on because we know Mexicans are driving here without a legal license," he said. ''How can they not? Driving is often necessary to get a job."

Brian Keyes, a spokesman for the Chelsea Police Department, said initially his department was won over by the argument that some identification was better than none.

''When it was presented to us at first, it sounded like a great idea," he said. ''We met with Mexican officials in June and they showed us how hard the cards themselves are to duplicate."

Keyes said the identification system could save the city money because police officers are obligated to hold civilians they stop without proper identification.

Chelsea City Councilor Roy Avellaneda said he too was convinced the cards were a good idea and was prepared to sponsor an ordinance extending the city's acceptance to all city departments.

''I wasn't that concerned about the issue of immigration status because I would rather have crimes reported regardless," he said. ''My role as city councilor is to protect all citizens of Chelsea."

But Avellaneda said he would hold off on his initiative until he gets a green light from Garvin.

In Revere, Mayor Thomas Ambrosino said he wanted to have another discussion with his police chief before rescinding the city's approval of the matricula.