Mexican Consular Lobbying in the United States: Explaining the Acceptance of the Consular Identification Card

ABSTRACT This article explores the lobbying strategies conducted by the network of 53 Mexican consulates in the United States for the acceptance of the Consular Identification Card, matricula consular in Spanish, as a valid identification. The central objective of this strategy has been to provide a valid form of identification for Mexican nationals abroad, especially undocumented migrants, to facilitate their social and economic inclusion in the communities where they live, thus improving their quality of life. It analyzes how these strategies have been adapted and implemented to the different local contexts to maximize the probability of success. It seeks to answer two questions. What are the most important lobbying strategies used by Mexican consulates to promote the acceptance by US state and local governments of this identification card? Which of these strategies have been successful and why? The article analyzes the consular negotiation strategies with 3 groups of relevant actors in the United States, (1) local, state, and federal authorities; (2) the private sector, such as financial institutions; and (3) the Mexican diaspora. We argue that the success in the acceptance of this form of identification depends on the effective enactment of these 3 main consular lobbying strategies.