Beware: Mexico Introduces New ID for Aliens: 'Pasaporte de Proteccion'

When Marco Antonio Aviles, a 15-year-old illegal alien, went to the Mexican Consulate in Austin, Texas, with his mother, his intention was to apply for a protective passport that could greatly increase his odds of qualifying for deferred action for childhood arrivals. The Mexican government grants so-called protective passports to its nationals living abroad who don’t qualify for a regular passport.
 

Ever-creative Mexico handing out special passports to certain aliens.

Aviles’ mother, Angela, brought him to the U.S. when he was five. But since Angela never registered Marco Antonio’s birth with the Mexican government and he’s in the U.S. illegally, he has no identifying documents from either country. Hence, el pasaporte de proteccion.
 
Mexico insists that it grants only a few such documents. The Austin consulate issued 140 special passports last year, and 15 during 2016. The danger is that the passports, issued with questionable if any security checks, could soon become like the infamous matricula consular card that started slowly, but soon became a national disgrace as Mexican consular officers spread across the U.S. to promote the bogus I.D.
 
Two principals in the Aviles case indicated that a broader distribution of the pasaporte is likely in the wings. Angela: “I just want to make sure he has his things in order. Maybe he can apply for DACA [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals] later. For me, this is a great happiness.” DACA rears its ugly head again!
 
And Austin Consulate General Carlos Gonzalez Gutierrez: “Our work in providing identifying documents to our citizens in the U.S. is of paramount importance. There is no better way to protect somebody than to issue them the appropriate documentation.”
 
What a shame that Mexico isn’t as resolute about providing its citizens with a government that offers them a quality of life which encourages them to stay home as it is to develop inventive ways to circumvent U.S. immigration law.