Thank you.
I agree with the radio program 100%. The last time I was back home in central Illinois I was amazed at how many ME's has moved to the area. Many new, small town clinics have sprung up and practically all of the doctors in them are ME.
It's frightening.
Congressman Culberson is the gentleman who in conjunction with a U.S District Attorney from Texas was informing a conservative talk-radio host (Glenn Beck) about how illegals and specifically Al-Quada are crossing our borders and setting-up businesses, bank accounts, etc.
U.S. Congressman – John Culberson (R – 7th District of Texas)
Contact: Press Secretary Sarah Goldston Phone: 202-225-2571 Date: 07/15/04
Culberson Passes Amendment on Matricula Consular Cards
Congressman John Culberson (R-Texas) continued to make strides toward ending the security threat posed by illegal immigration through our Southern borders. The amendment he added to the Transportation-Treasury bill earlier today prevents the federal government from financially supporting the Matricula Consular cards in the future.
“The FBI has testified to Congress under oath that the Matricula Consular card is a completely unreliable form of identification ‘due to the non-existence of any means of verifying the true identity of the card-holder,’”
Congressman Culberson said. "The Department of Homeland Security tells us that there is a 100 per cent chance that terrorists will try to attack our country before the November election. Texas law enforcement officials have told me that they have identified a number of special interest aliens of Middle Eastern decent who have used Hispanic surnames to enter the United States undetected.”
He continued, “My amendment is aimed to protect our national security by stopping the use of this totally unreliable form of identification because it can be used by criminals to obtain driver’s licenses, bank accounts, and other services. The Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation all agree that the Matricula Consular card is unreliable and in a time of war, Congress’s highest obligation is to protect the country from another terrorist attack.”
The Matricula Consular cards were created in 1871 in order to allow foreign governments to issue identification cards to their citizens before entering the United States, but are now primarily being used by illegal immigrants.
Mexico’s Matricula Consular is the most widely distributed of these cards, but remains easy to obtain due to a lack of centralized database to coordinate those applying to receive them. As it stands, one can easily receive multiple cards, use unreliable forms of identification, or sometimes the individual in question presents no other form of identification and simply fills out the name they would like printed on the card.
Matricula Consular cards circumvent the need to present a valid passport that most legal foreign nationals use as their primary means of identification. The cards can be used to obtain US driver’s licenses in 13 states and can be used to evade detection from law enforcement. However, the immediate concern is that of terrorists obtaining these cards to perpetrate another deadly attack within our borders.
These criminal threats are significant, but it is the terrorist threat presented by the Matricula Consular that is most worrisome. Federal officials have discovered individuals from many different countries in possession of the Matricula Consular card. Most of these individuals are citizens of other Central or South American countries. However, at least one individual of Middle Eastern descent has also been arrested in possession of the Matricula Consular card. The ability of foreign nationals to use the Matricula Consular to create a well-documented, but fictitious, identity in the United States provides an opportunity for terrorists to move freely within the United States without triggering name-based watch lists that are disseminated to local police officers. It also allows them to board planes without revealing their true identity. All of these threats are in addition to the transfer of terrorist funds, mentioned earlier.