Marsha versus Mexico

Maybe it will take a lady to clean up the border.

According to our local paper the Mexican Consulate in Atlanta will be traveling to Memphis this Saturday to set up a temporary distribution point for Matricula Consulate cards, the very same form of identity cards that U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., would prohibit using for opening bank accounts. How's that for arrogance?

Representative Blackburn has been pressing ahead to gain support for her bill (mentioned in the post below) to essentially invalidate those cards as a valid form of ID for obtaining banking services. They are issued by Mexican Consulate offices to people ALREADY in the the United States, who lack the visa paperwork that would otherwise identify them as non-citizens. Or, as Ms. Blackburn put it:

"Our preference would be to see the Mexican government join us in securing our borders and protecting the sovereignty of our two nations,"

"Instead, the Mexican government continues to encourage illegal immigration and thumbing their collective noses at the rule of U.S. law by passing out these matricular cards. Legal immigrants don't need the matricular card, only illegals do. By issuing these cards, on U.S. soil and in broad daylight, the Mexican Consulate shows no remorse in encouraging illegals to break the law."

Although I joked in the other post that we didn't need her bill, only a better enforcement of existing laws, we all know how that's been going. Those concerned about sovereignty and the rule of law need to stand behind Ms. Blackburn's efforts.

That's what one prominent Memphis businesswoman decided to do:

Germantown business owner C.J. Phillips-Young, 59, called The Commercial Appeal on Thursday to say she took part. She said the branch manager at the Bank of America at Poplar and Shady Grove took her into a private office and asked her what it would take for her to not close her accounts. Phillips-Young said it would take a pledge that the bank would stop issuing credit cards to illegal immigrants. In reply, she said the branch manager handed her a cashier's check for the balance in her accounts.

It's not just the Mexican government displaying a kind of arrogance that says, "you can't fight us", our own banks are party to it. To maintain her ethical stand Ms. Phillips-Young may one day be left with burying her savings in mason jars in the backyard if more of us don't join her in protest.

That said, putting money where mouth is I've sent an email to my local bank, Regions Bank, to ask if they accept the Matricula cards as valid ID:



I'll post the reply here as an update, if they reply.

MORE 3/10/07

While telling us yesterday about the Mexican Consulate's trip to Hickory Hill (Memphis suberb) today for the purposes of handing out bogus identification cards to illegal aliens, their morning edition contained an unbelievable puff piece about how local Mexicans are helping the police fight crime. The story contained nothing about the Consular cards, but did contain this nugget:

Hispanics are perceived by robbers as easy targets because they are suspicious of authorities and are less likely to report crimes, especially if they are in the United States illegally. Many also work construction jobs and get paid in cash.

Why should they be suspicious of the police? Apparently the only thing they have to fear is poorly spoken Spanish.

"We want to help them understand that it is OK to come forward and report crime," said Rafael Valenzuela, owner of the Guadalajara restaurant. And it appears crime in the area is down, he says. Police stats confirm that.

Yes, everything except coming to America illegally or being paid in cash and not reporting income to the IRS. And the government wants to make these people citizens?

MORE 3/11/07

By the way, Regions Bank never responded to my email question. Shall we take that as a "yes, we do accept these cards"? I'll be confirming at my local branch Monday before removing my accounts.

LAST 3/12/07

Haven't gotten a hold of the Regions people yet. I'm a lazy blogger, I know. When/if I do will start on a new post on it. By the way, my inquiry DID trigger a response of a different kind--a phishing attack. Somebody most likely came here, saw the post, and thought they could scam me out of some money by sending me an email disguised as a reply from Region Bank. Sorry loser. It didn't work.