Mexico's Denver Consulate Issues Thousands of Identification Cards.

Byline: Julio Ochoa

Dec. 30--Mexican nationals living in Weld County have a new way to show their citizenship when they travel home for the new year. The immigrants can easily prove they are citizens of Mexico by flashing the border patrol an identification card, called the matricular consular. The Mexican Consulate in Denver issues the cards, which are often the only identification available to undocumented workers that is not counterfeit.

"Immigration status is not an issue for us," said Mario Hernandez, a spokesman for the Denver Consulate. "What we care about is people that come to get one demonstrate to us that they are Mexican nationals." Since the cards were introduced in June, the consulate has issued more than 16,800, and many are turning up in Weld County, according to banking and law enforcement …