The Mexican Consulate is issuing government IDs in Nashville faster than ever before.
The Atlanta-based office distributed 14-hundred Mexican IDs called “Matricula Consulars.” In years past, the consulate has only handed out 400 of these IDs in a single trip.
Government-issued documentation has become increasingly important in Nashville. Illegal immigrants can no longer get a drivers license in Tennessee. If they’re pulled over without any ID, they are typically arrested because a police officer doesn’t know who to give the misdemeanor citation to. In Davidson County now, an arrest means almost certain deportation under a new immigration enforcement program with the sheriff.
Renata Soto with the Hispanic advocacy group Conexion Americas says demand is unquenchable right now. She says the 14-hundred appointments for the Mexican consulate’s visit in August filled within an hour of being announced.
“People really need to have access to their government issued IDs so that at least that’s one level of being able to identify yourself to a police officer if you are stopped.”
However, the Matricula Consular doesn’t always prevent arrest. Soto points to the now-high-profile case of Juana Villegas. The Mexican national, nine-months pregnant, was pulled over by a Berry Hill police officer in July. Though she had her Mexican ID, she was arrested for driving without insurance. Villegas ended up having her child while in custody and was handcuffed to a hospital bed while in a labor. She later paid the 10-dollar traffic fine and is now facing a deportation hearing.
Immigrant advocates are working with the night court judges. They review every arrest in Davidson County – whether by Metro, Berry Hill or Vanderbilt police – and can over-rule a police officer’s discretion to make a physical arrest in place of a citation.
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