Leavitt intrigues Mexican media

MEXICO CITY — Gov. Mike Leavitt's trade mission to Mexico last week not only made headlines in Utah newspapers but also in six of Mexico City's leading dailies and on two television stations.

The three-day mission, which included meetings between Leavitt and Mexican President Vicente Fox, as well as seven top-ranking Cabinet officials, left a lasting impression, according to Martin Torres, Utah's Mexican consul.

"It personalized the relationship between Utah and Mexico," Torres said.

Newspapers reported extensively on Leavitt's endorsement of the "matricula consular," a form of identification issued to immigrants by Mexico's U.S. consulates.

These cards are typically issued to immigrants who don't have Social Security numbers or other documents. The matriculas are particularly popular among illegal immigrants.

Several U.S. banks have already recognized matriculas, allowing immigrants to open accounts.

On Tuesday before a news conference with Mexican journalists, Leavitt expressed his support of the matriculas.

"All of us need to be worried about terrorism and who can be found on our borders. So it's important that they have an identification so they can be recognized. The matricula is the first step toward that identification," Leavitt was quoted as saying in El Heraldo De Mexico, a daily newspaper.

Since the late 1990s, Utah has recognized matriculas as a form of identification for immigrants in obtaining a driver's license.

"There is a lot of people who don't know about it," Torres said. "They need to be made aware of it, too."

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E-mail: danderton@desnews.com