[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 91 (Thursday, June 19, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H5554-H5555]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               CONSULAR CARDS THREATEN HOMELAND SECURITY

  (Mr. SMITH of Texas asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. SMITH of Texas. Mr. Speaker, today the Subcommittee on 
Immigration will hold a hearing on consular identification cards such 
as those issued by Mexican consulates to illegal immigrants in the 
United States.
  A number of cities and dozens of banks now recognize these cards for 
identification purposes. In several States, in fact, they can be used 
to obtain a driver's license.
  The cards are not reliable, not secure, and make it easier for 
illegal immigrants to stay in the U.S. A person's identity is not 
verified and false identities are easy to obtain. To anyone worried 
about homeland security, these cards should be seen as a red alert.
  The Treasury Department recently approved these consular 
identification cards for bank use, yet no major bank in Mexico accepts 
them. So we have U.S. banks relying on Mexican identification cards 
that even Mexico will not recognize.

[[Page H5555]]

  Perhaps the Treasury Department did not hear that the President is 
concerned about homeland security. Treasury officials may want to call 
the White House.

                          ____________________