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Another important preventive measure that should be implemented would require state and local governments and private sector institutions such as banks to stop accepting the Matricula Consular Cards issued by the Mexican Government as standard identification. (We recently had a heated debate in Congress over the standardization of state-issued driver's licenses. The President signed the national driver's license bill into law on Wednesday, May 11.) The Center for Immigration Studies' Mark Kirkorian recently wrote in National Review that "perhaps even more problematic than inconsistent license rules is the spreading acceptance of consular registration cards, chiefly Mexico's 'matricula consular' card, which functions as an illegal alien ID; when accepted by U.S. jurisdictions as a valid ID for everything from bank accounts to air travel, it represents a de facto amnesty." The FBI views these cards to be a risk; the Treasury Department approves their use.

Morton C. Blackwell, President of the Leadership Institute, made a candid point that our federal elected officials, particularly those who are conservative, should heed. Mr. Blackwell agrees that the issue of immigration is complex. He also said that many Americans - particularly the conservatives that overwhelmingly supported President Bush in the last election - quite tenaciously believe that our borders need more protection and that they will vote on that issue in the next election. Failure to control our borders would risk splitting the Conservative Coalition.

Controlling - not stopping - immigration is a matter of national security. It is a difficult task but it is truly the most important strategy at the front lines in the War against Terrorism. Lose this battle and there could be more opportunities for 9/11 to be repeated. Winning this battle starts at the front lines by exercising more control over who enters our country. This is a difficult task but one that certainly is well within our capability. (Using the military to patrol our border may strike some as an attractive option but it is preferable to have the Border Patrol improve its capability. Conservatives traditionally have looked askance at the military performing domestic law enforcement functions even if it involved national security.) Smart politicians realize the importance of this issue and would not be surprised to hear more calls for increased border security in the next election. This is an issue that may be good politics but it is much more than that; our national security is at stake.

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Paul M. Weyrich is the Chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation.

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Note -- The opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions, views, and/or philosophy of GOPUSA.

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