Recently, a diplomatic team from the Guatemalan Consulate General in Houston, Tx provided government services to Guatemalan citizens in northern Louisiana. , was invited to Bossier Parish Community College in Bossier City.
The “mobile consulate” responded to the needs of nearly 400 Guatemalan nationals who were tasked by a team of 18 consulate staff for two days to provide Guatemalan citizenship documents, passports and ID cards. It was the first time this consulate had traveled to Bossier City to provide services.
The right documents are essential for filing tax returns, applying for loans and credit, and buying cars and houses.
“The Guatemalan community has grown rapidly in northern Louisiana, which is seeing a phenomenal amount of immigration,” said Jose Barillas Ternnert, consul general at the Guatemalan consulate general in Houston.
A 14-year-old United States resident, Elisandro of Ruston, La., told us that he came to the United States “because of the lack of economy.” Elisandro, husband and father, is a semi-skilled worker who tells us that “life was a little hard, but it can be easier with an education.” Elisandro asked not to reveal his last name.
He came to Bossier College to get his passport and identification documents in order.
So is Juan and Isabela, a young couple from Simsboro, La who are expecting their first child in a month and have been in the United States for almost two years. They also asked not to be identified by their last names. As with many immigrants living here, traveling to the consulates in Dallas or Houston is cumbersome and expensive, “It’s very, very difficult to travel to Houston,” Juan said.
This documentation makes it easier to identify yourself as a Guatemalan citizen during official operations and, if necessary, enables you to travel home.
It is common for naturalized US citizens to also keep documents from their country of birth, and those who do not have legal status in that country have their proper documents from their country of origin.
Consul General Barillas mentions that Guatemalan communities have also grown in Arkansas and Oklahoma and now in Louisiana. There is currently no consulate general in Louisiana.
“We are trying to work and work with local and state authorities so that our consular identification is accepted by them and trusted by them,” Barillas said.
The right documents are essential for filing tax returns, applying for loans and credit, and buying cars and houses.
