Mexican consul to visit Hawai'i
By Vicki Viotti
Advertiser Staff Writer
The Mexican consul to the San Francisco district, which includes Hawai'i, will arrive tomorrow for a visit with the Mexican community here and to discuss with Honolulu officials ways to make life more humane for the estimated 30,000 Mexican immigrants in the Islands, including those here illegally.
The visit by Georgina Lagos is being paired with a stop by the Mexican tall ship Cuauhtemoc (pronounced "koo-ah-temoc"), a Mexican naval academy training vessel. The ship will dock at Aloha Tower today and will be open for free tours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow through Sunday.
Lagos will review applications for the appointment of the next honorary Mexican consul in Hawai'i and preside at a private reception for Hawai'i officials and leaders from the Mexican community and other Hispanic communities here, said Jose Villa, editor of the online Hawaii Hispanic News and an organizer for the consular visit.
The consul also plans to meet with Honolulu Prosecutor Peter Carlisle and with Abellina Shaw, the mayor's chief of staff, on issues affecting illegal aliens, Villa said.
These include the rights of illegal aliens to humane treatment, Villa said, but Lagos' primary hope is to persuade Honolulu officials to accept a consulate-issued photo ID as a legal form of identification.
Last week, Denver's mayor declared the "Matricula Consular" acceptable by city agencies, allowing undocumented immigrants, for example, to apply for building permits or business licenses.
Denver is the 40th U.S. city to accept the cards, which have been issued to 100,000 Mexican nationals living in the nation, legally or illegally, Villa said.
In addition, Bank of America and Wells Fargo have accepted the cards, giving aliens a means of opening a bank account and sending money securely to family in Mexico.
Villa acknowledged that the cards have been controversial because they help enable U.S. residence for illegal aliens, but its supporters counter that the cards help authorities know whom they're dealing with and stem the market for phony IDs.
To get a Matricula card, which costs $9, Mexican nationals must present an original copy of a birth certificate, as well as a Mexican national voter registration card.
The cards would help normalize life for the aliens and enable them to pursue legal residence, Villa said.
"Many of the folks choose not to deal with the fact that they're here, but they are here," he said. "They're driving next to us on the H-1 ... , they're all around us, using the library, their kids go to school.
"At some point the U.S. is going to have to accept that and allow them to become legal."
