March 31, 2003

URGENT ALERT 2:
NEW BILL IN CONGRESS
WOULD OUTLAW MATRICULA CARDS

–H.R. 502, if passed, will outlaw acceptance of Mexican ID cards,
Thus, thwarting "Stealth Amnesty" of Illegal Aliens–

Good news for immigration reduction activists if we act NOW!: Congressman Tom Tancredo (R-CO) has introduced a bill into Congress that will specifically forbid further acceptance of the "Matricula Consular" cards–ID cards issued by Mexican Consulates in the USA, which allow illegals access to U.S. taxpayer-funded services and benefits.

Introduced with 12 original co-sponsors, H.R. 502 would "require identification that may be used in obtaining Federal public benefits to meet restrictions ensuring that it is secure and verifiable". Translation: no more benefits for illegal aliens.

Until recently, the card was gaining popularity around the country, with more banks, city governments, law enforcement agencies, and other institutions accepting it.

• Since last March, at least 74 banks, 800 police departments, and 13 states began recognizing matricula cards as a legal identification.
• •The Mexican government, through its 48 consulate offices across the United States, has issued over 1 million matricula cards to its citizens residing in our country illegally, and is lobbying Congress to help continue and expand this trend.

The Threat

Mexican ID cards accepted as valid U.S. identification cause serious consequences:

1. They enact a de facto "stealth amnesty", which would, for all practical purposes, legalize millions of illegal aliens and encourage millions more to migrate. By treating illegal immigrants as U.S. citizens with all the taxpayer-funded benefits to which citizens are entitled, illegal actions are, and would be further, condoned. This sends a message to other would-be illegal aliens that the U.S. doesn't take its own immigration laws seriously.

2. They compromise our national security by opening U.S. borders to a constant stream of foreign nationals who have no background checks and no disease screenings. As the National Commission on Terrorism stated, "The massive flows of people across U.S. borders makes exclusion of all foreign terrorists impossible".

3. They give illegal aliens U.S. taxpayer-funded benefits, which native-born Americans and legal immigrants may not be able to receive. While overwhelming demand leaves many American citizens without health care and government services, illegal aliens would be benefitting from such services.

4. They invite other nations to issue their own cards – and many are already planning to do so, so their nationals can get U.S. taxpayer-funded benefits. Other foreign governments are watching the success or failure of the Mexican ID cards as a "test run". That is, if the U.S. accepts the matricula cards, then we'll surely accept similar cards from Guatemala, El Salvador, China–even some countries on terrorist watch lists in the future.

5. They act as a magnet for illegal aliens – Illegal aliens enter the U.S. for mainly two reasons. One is to be with family members who have already entered the U.S., and the other is simply to enjoy our economic opportunities. By granting illegal aliens benefits, we will spur more illegal aliens and their families to enter.

6. They further tax our fragile environment. The population growth resulting from amnesties and matriculas, coupled with the already massive legal and illegal immigrant flow, would drive the U.S.'s population to exceed one half billion before 2050. If current trends continue, we will lose our ability to export food by the year 2030. Not only will our resources be much depleted, but increasing domestic demand for food will compete with exports. The $40 billion annual income brought in by the exportation of food will be lost.

These consequences spell disaster for the United States. Census estimates of our illegal alien population place it at over 10 million, with well over half coming from Mexico. Instead of making it easier for illegal immigrants to enter our society, we must enforce current laws and pass more stringent legislation.

Economic hardships are on the rise for Americans. American workers suffer $152 billion wage depression and job loss annually due to mass immigration. And 8.6 million American workers are now unemployed. Continuing to admit illegal aliens will only increase the competition for the few jobs available, accelerating the decline in the standard of living among American households.

We Must Have Your Help

One of the reasons that illegal aliens are receiving so much is that they have a powerful voice: Even though they aren't citizens, they speak through open-borders groups to continually remind politicians and lawmakers of the ostensible importance of their presence and its impact on future elections.

But, the United States is still governed by the American people, and at least 60 percent of us, including a majority of minorities, see current U.S. immigration levels as a "critical threat to America's vital interests". In order to bring about change, we must make our voices heard. It is crucial to push moratorium bill H.R. 946 with H.R. 502 outlawing matricula ID cards.

H.R. 946 would enact a moratorium on all immigration in excess of 100,000 per year. The introduction of H.R. 946 is just the first step in helping implement a moratorium on immigration to reduce mass immigration-generated population growth.

We are at a crucial crossroads, and your help is needed more than ever.

We beat back the amnesty bills last year and we can defeat the amnesty bills and stop matricula cards and social security benefits for illegals. But we must have your help NOW.

TAKE ACTION NOW

You can make a difference by taking three simple steps right now:

1. Contact your Congressional Representative and Senators today. Ask them to co-sponsor H.R. 502, the "Consular ID Prohibition Act", and to enact a moratorium via the "Mass Immigration Reduction Act of 2003", H.R. 946. To find your representatives on-line, visit: http://www.house.gov/writerep/. To learn how to contact your Senators, visit: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

2. Fax and call other organizations you support to make sure they support this moratorium bill, H.R. 946, as their first priority. Ask for their written statements of support.

......And Please Note:

3. We must intensify our efforts to move the moratorium bill BUT we need your special donation right away to do it. Click on "Join Us", or mail your special donation payable to:

Population-Environment Balance
2000 P Street, N.W., Suite 600
Washington, DC 20036