Please consider sending ONE email today to support a pro-immigrant effort in Durham.

Thanks to the great efforts of many folks in the Durham Immigrant Solidarity Committee, the Matricula Consular (a Mexican ID card) is close to being approved by the Durham City Council as an official form of identification in the city...but there is still work to be done.

We have heard from a supportive City Council Member that he has received only ONE email in favor of the Matricula, while receiving more than FIFTY emails opposing the Matricula. If everyone receiving this message just sent one email, the city council members would know that people across North Carolina are looking to Durham to lead the way in supporting the Matricula Consular as an ID! See below for Durham City Council email addresses and a sample email message.

The benefits of this new policy would be numerous. As you know, undocumented immigrants cannot obtain any state-issued ID card, and in routine traffic stops it becomes difficult to prove one's identity. The Matricula Consular is not a substitute for a drivers' license, but if approved, will serve as a legally recognized verification of an individual's identity. This has the potential to save an immigrant from a trip to jail.

Also, the Durham City Council meeting will take place on Monday night at 7pm at 101 City Hall Plaza, Durham, NC. We need a strong showing, if you are available to attend!

The anti-immigrant groups are organizing on this issue (see links: http://www.alipac.us/ftopicp-1135729.html and http://triangle.ncfreedom.us/2010/11/07/sovereign-or-not/), so it's crucial that you make your voice heard.

Durham City Council Member Emails:
Farad.Ali@durhamnc.gov, Bill.Bell@durhamnc.gov,Eugene.Brown@durhamnc.gov,Diane.Catotti@durhamnc.gov, Howard.Clement@durhamnc.gov, Cora.Cole-McFadden@durhamnc.gov, Mike.Woodard@durhamnc.gov

Sample Email Message:

Subject: Support the Matricula Consular!

Dear Durham Council Members,

I am writing to ask you to approve the Matricula Consular (Mexican ID) as a valid form of ID in Durham.

Even though I do not live in Durham, this decision is very important to me. I urge Durham to become the first city in North Carolina to adopt the Matricula Consular and pave the way for other cities to do the same. Durham has long served as an example in the state of a city which is welcoming and non-discriminatory towards immigrants, and this decision will follow in that tradition.

This ID, issued by the Mexican government, is one of the most secure and sophisticated forms of ID around the world.

Many people in the immigrant community have a very low trust of law enforcement bodies, due to the fact that law enforcement in many localities are partnering with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (including the city of Durham). This low level of trust leads to higher crime levels, and lower security for our community at large.

The official recognition of the Mexican ID would be a significant step to improving trust with law enforcement, and to work towards a safer, more civically engaged community.

Thank you,