The University of Oregon Student Newspaper Backs Protests by Oregonians for Immigration Reform at the Carousel of Crime over the Weekend.
Mexican ID can’t ensure alien safety, U.S. security
By Emerald editorial board
February 15, 2006
Members of Oregonians For Immigration Reform gathered Saturday on campus at the High School Equivalency Program building to protest illegal immigration. Their target: the Mexican consulate issuing matricula consulars — identification cards given to Mexican citizens who can provide a birth certificate, photo ID and proof of residency. The cards allow Mexicans, including illegal immigrants, to obtain driver’s licenses and open bank accounts in the United States.
The protest drew a group of counter-protesters, and Department of Public Safety officers were on hand to keep the peace.
At $27 each, the cards may be cheaper than passports for Mexican travelers. But the OFIR
protesters and their sympathizers have a point: They assert that because legal immigrants from Mexico and other countries obtain Green Cards or other documents, only illegal immigrants need such cards.
Here’s the rest of the editorial.