Eusebio Morales is, to all intents and purposes, an invisible man.
He works long hours in a Jessup restaurant, has many relatives in his hometown of San Andres, Mexico, and lives with five other immigrants in an apartment in the Columbia village of Long Reach.
But he has no driver's license, no Social Security card and no other U.S. document to prove that he exists. So his life here is more complicated and more expensive than that of his neighbors who have recognized identification documents.
Morales hopes his situation will improve soon, thanks to a small plastic photo-ID card called the matricula consular that he bought at the Mexican Embassy in Washington this summer.
More than a million Mexicans, most of them believed to be illegal aliens, are using the matricula consular, mainly in towns in Texas and California and other Mexican population centers where local governments have decided to accept the card as a form of identification.
Although the cards are not widely used in Maryland, which has a relatively small Mexican population, Mexican officials say they are willing to lobby local governments to accept matricula consulars if the need arises. Depending on the municipality, Mexicans can use the identification to obtain library cards and building permits or to open utility accounts.
Many banks have also begun accepting the cards for Mexicans who want to open accounts. The cards cannot be used to obtain drivers' licenses, passports, Social Security numbers or more accepted forms of identification.
A long history
The Mexican government has issued the cards for nearly 120 years and say that they are merely a way to keep track of its citizens in the United States, whether they are here illegally or not.
But as the cards have become more widely accepted by local governments in the South and West, they have also generated dispute. Many police officials and others fighting the new war on terrorism see no reason to make life easier for those who are living in this country illegally.
For some cardholders, the card offers proof of their existence in this country, where they say they are often overlooked.
Recently, Gilberto Rodriguez, who lives in Fells Point with his wife and three children, used his new matricula consular to open a checking account.
"A friend told me that I could use the card to open a bank account," Rodriguez said. "So I got one as soon as I could, so I could send money home."
Rodriguez, who is 24 and works in a Baltimore bakery, said the money was an important source of support for his parents in Mexico. Mexican officials have lobbied local politicians in other parts of America to accept the card.
But they have not yet approached any local governments in Maryland. There are only 994 people born in Mexico living in Howard County and about 19,000 in the state, according to census figures. The Washington consulate has issued only about 3,000 of the identification cards in the capital area since July - approximately the same number the Denver consulate issues in a month.
"What could work in Texas might not work here. We're miles away from Mexico, and the needs might be different," said Edgardo Flores, the head of the consular section of the Mexican Embassy in Washington, which oversees Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.
Right to be known
Still, a growing number of Mexicans living in Maryland are going to Washington to get cards.
His lack of identification has been a constant worry for Morales. Because he has no bank account, he carries his pay home in cash, which makes him feel vulnerable. He must also pay a $70 Western Union fee to send cash to his family.
"For a guy like me and a family like mine, [the $70 fee] is a lot of money. It could buy food for a week," Morales said.
Morales plans to use his new matricula consular to open a bank account soon. He also said that having the card makes him feel less afraid when he sees a police car drive by.
"It's better than nothing. ... Part of human dignity is the right to identify yourself," he said.
Other Mexicans in the area are also eager to use the card.
Celso Soraneo Carrillo, who lives with Morales, plans to go to Washington soon to get a matricula consular. "If it helps me get a bank account and feel safe, then I'll get it," he said.
The card, which is available at all Mexican consulates for a $29 fee, has been accepted by more than 800 police departments and 60 banks, according to the Mexican government.
Bank of America began accepting the card nationwide in April. "We couldn't ignore this population," said Terri Bolling, a spokeswoman for Bank of America.
The card is not on the Howard County Police Department's list of acceptable forms of identification, said department spokeswoman Cpl. Lisa Myers.
Lobbying efforts
Some local Mexican leaders have been lobbying Howard County officials to accept the card.
"This is a way [Mexicans] can feel more secure and take the first step toward a more legitimate life," Jorge Fonseca, pastor of Iglesia Cristiana de Columbia, told a group of Howard County Democratic leaders recently.
Frank S. Turner, a 13th District delegate, said he was willing to explore possible local use of the matricula consular.
"I don't know if we've come to the point where we need it," Turner said
Mexican officials are taking a similar wait-and-see attitude. "If there's a big enough need for it, we will be happy to negotiate with other parties," Flores said.
Some Mexican immigrants hang larger wishes on the card, hoping the matricula consular will help them become U.S. citizens.
That idea infuriates critics of the matricula consular, who say the card helps to legitimize illegal immigrants and can be exploited by criminals who want to change their identity.
In Denver, Immigration and Naturalization Service officials arrested a Mexican who had three matriculas. Each card contained his picture but had a different name, said Nina Pruneda, a department spokeswoman.
"Why would anyone want one of these cards unless they're here illegally, a terrorist or a criminal?" asked Rep. Elton Gallegly, a Republican from Simi Valley, Calif.
Morales said he was satisfied just to have his address and photo on a card. After displaying it to a visitor, he carefully put it back into his wallet and smiled. "At least, if I get in an accident now, people will know who I am," Morales said.