David Weldon: “I rise in opposition to the Oxley-Frank amendment. By accepting these cards as legitimate forms of identification…”

“I rise in opposition to the Oxley-Frank amendment. By accepting these cards as legitimate forms of identification, banks, State, and local governments are undermining the intent of the USA PATRIOT Act and our national security. The Mexican consulate is issuing matricula consular by aggressively marketing these documents, often to individuals living in the United States illegally. According to the October 21, 2002, report to Congress, in accordance with section 326(b) of the USA PATRIOT Act, serious weaknesses exist in the acceptance of foreign documents to verify identity. The Treasury report identified several problems related to foreign documents, including forgery, lack of uniformity, recognition, reliability, and legitimacy issues. Accepting matricula will provide safe harbor for foreign nationals residing in the United States illegally. The rule makes no distinction between non-U.S. persons who are here legally and those who are here illegally. Furthermore, it allows documents issued by any government, including a foreign government, to be utilized to verify identification. The rule would allow noncitizens who are in the U.S. illegally to utilize documents issued by a foreign government with the intended purpose of bypassing U.S. security laws. We should not allow this. Through the acceptance of matricula consular, significant immigration and national security policy would be undermined.”