A nationwide program to introduce identity cards for all Mexicans later this year will help in the fight against crime and streamline social welfare claims, President Felipe Calderon said this week.
The cards are to carry the bearer’s photograph and will have information on fingerprints and biometric data such as facial and iris scans on a magnetic strip.
The new cards are not meant to substitute the voter registration (IFE) cards that are currently used for official identification for most Mexicans, said Mexico’s Interior Minister Fernando Gomez Mont.
One of the main objectives of the card will be to allow recipients of social welfare programs to provide definitive proof of their identities.
It is hoped the identity cards will make bureaucracy more transparent and streamlined and also assist in the fight against organized crime, Mont said.
Calderon said he wants every Mexican to have an ID card by 2012.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
