Passport, Senõr?

I almost hurt myself yelling at my radio yesterday because they were talking about a proposal the state of Illinois is looking at that would let Mexican immigrants use their Mexican ID (Matricula Consular) cards to open a bank account and take care of other routine business, since many immigrants don't have an Illinois driver’s license. Gee, if they are immigrants, why don't they just produce oh, say, their passport and visa? You mean they don't have passports and visas? Well, gee, that would mean that they are in this country illegally? In clear violation of Federal law? Then why aren't they arrested? You mean the police have decided not to enforce this particular law? Out of their jurisdication, you say? Does that mean that local police will not arrest counterfeiters because that is out of their jurisdiction as well? Oh, they will? So the police can just pick and choose which laws they will enforce just sort of at random? Am I living in the Twilight Zone?

It sure feels that way sometime. In any other country in the entire world, non-citizens unable to produce a passport (and visa if required) would be in a GREAT DEAL OF TROUBLE; I know, as I've been to 39 different countries. And now the U.S. government is going to start requiring U.S. citizens to have a passport to enter their own country! I have an idea for the Mexican government that occured to me as I pursued this particular train of thought down the tracks. Couldn't they do the same? Since a large number of Mexican citizens are deported to Mexico every year by the Customs and Immigration Service for not being able to document the fact that they are in this country legally, why does the Mexican government accept them? If I were Mexican Immigration and the U.S. INS tried to dump a busload of folks into my country, I would say to the INS "where is your proof that these people are Mexican citizens? If you cannot provide proof of their Mexican citizenship, I am afraid that I cannot allow them to enter Mexico, Senõr. After all, Senõr, how can we know that they are not muy peligroso terroristas?" Anyone guess when they might start this? I'm sure I'm not the only one that this has occurred to.

Posted by trygstad | Category: Rant | 04:07 PM