Well Fargo, Immgrant Accounts

[Guest guest]

Interesting news item via Jim Pettyjohn of the Oregon Health Services

Division.

Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2002 9:17 AM

Subject: Well Fargo, Immgrant Accounts

o Wells Fargo Bank to Open Bank Accounts for Immigrants--Legal Status

Not a

Barrier

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Wells Fargo Bank, with 3,000 branches in 23 states, announced in November

2001 that it would accept Mexican government ID cards from people applying

for bank accounts. Wells Fargo said that its Spanish-speaking staff would

help all customers open accounts: " Wells Fargo does not focus at all on the

legal status of our customers. Rather we focus on the forms of ID. "

Martha

I. Lara, Mexico's consul general in Los Angeles, began encouraging banks to

accept Mexican ID cards to reduce robberies of Mexicans, many of whom carry

large amounts of cash. The INS said: " Our priorities are to go after

illegal

immigrants involved in committing crime. If they are law-abiding citizens,

we don't have the resources to go looking for them. " Police chiefs in

Orange

County approved plans to allow officers to accept Mexican ID cards as proof

of identity for people detained for minor infractions.

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Alice Larson

[Guest guest]

Thank God!!!!!!!! I am so glad to hear that! I hope

that other places follow suit. I know a migrant

worker who was carrying around $5,000 in cash on his

body. He wanted to save his money so that he had

something in case of emergency, and to take back home

for his family. He had been saving crumpled up bills

for 3 years, and one day he just pulled out the wad of

cash, which had already begun to mold, from his pocket

and said, " This is making me nervous. Can you help

me? " I almost dropped dead from the shock. The only

thing I could do was put it in a CD for him. But then

there were complications. First, what if somethign

happened to me, and he wouldnt' be able to get his

money? So I opened a joint account with a friend. We

decided to each keep a copy of the paperwork, and gave

him a third copy. But it's hard, because now he has

to trust that we're not going to touch the money, and

second, if he gets deported or something happens,

we're going to have to make sure the money gets to his

family in Mexico. But I still think that it's better

this way, because I can't imagine what it must feel

like to walk around with all the money you have in the

world crammed inside a pocket or inside a sock.

--- Alice Larson <las@...> wrote:

> Interesting news item via Jim Pettyjohn of the

> Oregon Health Services

> Division.

>

> Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2002 9:17 AM

> Subject: Well Fargo, Immgrant Accounts

>

>

> o Wells Fargo Bank to Open Bank Accounts for

> Immigrants--Legal Status

> Not a

> Barrier

>

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

> ---

> -----------

> Wells Fargo Bank, with 3,000 branches in 23 states,

> announced in November

> 2001 that it would accept Mexican government ID

> cards from people applying

> for bank accounts. Wells Fargo said that its

> Spanish-speaking staff would

> help all customers open accounts: " Wells Fargo does

> not focus at all on the

> legal status of our customers. Rather we focus on

> the forms of ID. "

> Martha

> I. Lara, Mexico's consul general in Los Angeles,

> began encouraging banks to

> accept Mexican ID cards to reduce robberies of

> Mexicans, many of whom carry

> large amounts of cash. The INS said: " Our

> priorities are to go after

> illegal

> immigrants involved in committing crime. If they

> are law-abiding citizens,

> we don't have the resources to go looking for them. "

> Police chiefs in

> Orange

> County approved plans to allow officers to accept

> Mexican ID cards as proof

> of identity for people detained for minor

> infractions.

> -----------------------------------------

>

> Alice Larson

>

>

>

>

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