During a tour of the Mexican consulates in California, where she was able to talk with consuls, workers, and the community, migrant representative Maribel Solache found an increase in absenteeism at the appointments requested to make services.

This means that people are missing more appointments than usual that they request at Mexican consulates.

"There are many factors that can intervene, but without a doubt the fear of immigration raids plays a determining role. People are scared," said migrant representative Solache.

"For example, they tell me that out of 200 appointments, an average of between 30 and 40 do not arrive," she said.

She added that it does not help to generate confidence that the Mexican Consulate in San Diego is located a few blocks from the ICE offices; or that MacArthur Park is next to the Mexican Consulate in Los Angeles.

“Let us remember that last month, a contingent of federal immigration agents arrived at MacArthur Park with the intention of sowing terror,” said the representative.

La Opinion asked the Consul General of Mexico in Los Angeles, Carlos Gonzalez Gutierrez, how the situation is in his jurisdiction.

“We have noticed a recent decrease in the demand for appointments for passports, consular registration cards and immigration credentials,” said the representative. voter," he said.

"This week, out of a total of 2,075 appointments available at our headquarters, 395 slots were left unscheduled, representing 19.03%. In addition, in the last three days, out of a total capacity of 1,800 people served at the consulates on wheels, only 642 attended, that is, 35.66%.

However, he clarified that this trend will not continue towards the weekend.

"For this Saturday, for example, only 87 of the 600 appointments offered at the consulates on wheels remain available."

He stressed that this drop in demand does not affect all services equally.

"In the case of the Civil Registry,Demand has remained constant and all appointment slots are filled. It is worth noting that this year the area was reinforced through the relocation of personnel, which has allowed 3,594 Civil Registry procedures to be carried out as of July, representing a 41% increase compared to the total number of procedures carried out last year.

She said that they continue to closely monitor these patterns to adjust their capacity and care strategies according to the needs of the community.

They come to listen

Migrant representative Solache said that she has made this tour of the California consulates as part of a commitment made as a member of the Foreign Relations Commission of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies.

Together with members From my team, we have visited the consulates in San Diego, San Bernardino, Los Angeles, Santa Ana, San Francisco, Fresno, Sacramento, and San Jose twice since January. We will return next week and will also be in Oxnard and Calexico. Migrant Representative Aniceto "Cheto" Polanco and Migrant Representative Nadia Sepulveda will also be accompanying us.

He specified that with these visits, they want to see how they can help improve services because that is among President Claudia Sheinbaum's 100 commitments.

"It is very difficult to raise the good name of the consulates. There's a backlog of years, and with this emergency generated by immigration raids, it's even more noticeable."

But one good thing," the representative said, "that the consulates are doing is that they are no longer revealing the hours in which appointments are open, which favors traffickers who take advantage of the fact that many Mexicans are not technologically savvy; or because they navigate with three or four jobs, they don't have time to process appointments.

"These traffickers charge between $80 and $100 per appointment. The consulates are putting up barriers to prevent them from continuing to do business at the expense of immigrants."

He indicated that one of the services for which demand has increased is dual nationality for the children of Mexicans, both children and adults, also due to the fear raised by the Immigration and Customs Service operations.

"During my visits, many consulates have made me aware of the need to allocate them a larger budget. I don't have that authority to decide, but I'm taking that down to raise it in the House." But if I had the power, before anything else, I would authorize more employees, because that is very necessary for them to have more capacity to serve more people." He said that they have also achieved, under President Sheinbaum's government, that the consulates work until five in the afternoon,Since before, many only worked until three in the afternoon.

In general, all the consulates work very well; and in others they simply don't have the resources, but they are putting in the effort.

Also - she said - they have managed to raise awareness among the staff at some consulates, since in some, like the one in Los Angeles, the security guards would not let people who were outside waiting to get in for their appointment use the bathrooms.

That has already changed, she said.

She added that in some consulates, like those in San Francisco and San Diego, parking is very expensive. On the other hand, consulates like those in Sacramento and Fresno have enough free space.

Representative Solache said that as migrant legislators they come to join in, and the best thing is that on this tour, they have found community leaders who are willing to help the consulates with work.

He summarized by saying that the three main demands made to him during the campaign were consular improvements, improving voting access for Mexicans abroad, and enacting laws for Mexicans returning to Mexico.

“This tour is about listening to all sides and taking home the homework to find out what we will be legislators on in our second year.”