Bankers Oppose Blackburn Bill

ABA Opposes Bill Against Consular Card ID

The American Bankers Association on Wednesday objected to a lawmaker’s attempt to tighten the identification requirements for undocumented immigrants trying to qualify for banking services.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., introduced a bill Monday that would stop banks from using “matricula” consular cards or other foreign IDs to verify a customer’s identity when opening an account.

“It’s a strange world that we live in where we’re actually trying to get folks not to put money into a financial institution,” James Ballentine, the ABA’s director of housing and economic development, said in an interview.

Rep. Blackburn’s bill would limit financial institutions, as well as the federal government, to recognizing four types of identity verification: a Social Security card accompanied by photo identification; a driver’s license or state-issued identification card; a passport; or a photo identification card issued by the Department of Homeland Security.

“It says to banks and illegal immigrants alike, ‘You can’t get a Visa without a visa,’ ” Rep. Blackburn said in a press release Monday.

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