Ducey signed bill recognizing validity of Consular ID cards

Governor Ducey signed a bill recognizing the validity of Consular ID cards in AZ. It lets the state, city, and county officials accept these identification cards issued by foreign consulates. They say the law will help undocumented immigrants in AZ without access to any other types of state or Federal ID, like driver’s licenses.

The Consulate office has been getting a lot of calls asking about what the bill means. Horizonte Host, Jose Cardenas talked with Jorge Mendoza Yescas, the Consul General of Mexico in Phoenix about this.

Mendoza talked about the security features that have been emphasized as one of the reasons this is trustworthy identification. He said it has more security features than an Arizona driver’s license. He said the police departments in Arizona told them that they are a good tool for finding individuals. He thinks it is a good thing for public safety in Arizona but also for the Mexican population.

We talk about some of the benefits that it creates. Mendoza said it can be used to go back-and-forth between Mexico and the US. He said it can almost be used as a passport. We also talked about President Biden and Mexico‘s president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, discussing migration.