Puede escuchar y leer la entrevista completa en español aquí.
The Las Vegas-based Consulate of Mexico will visit Reno for the first time in 2023 on Saturday, February 25th and Sunday, February 26th.
KUNR’s bilingual reporter, Natalie Van Hoozer, sat down with All Things Considered host Danna O’Connor to recap the conversation she had with Consul Julián Escutia about how the consulate serves northern Nevada.
Danna O’Connor: So, Natalie, what is the Mexican Mobile Consulate?
Natalie Van Hoozer: Well, Danna, Consul Julián Escutia has explained in Spanish that the mobile consulate is coming to northern Nevada to provide basic consular services to the Mexican community, especially when you can’t come to Las Vegas.
O’CONNOR And what are these services?
Van Hoozer: So that people can get help with their passports. You can obtain a consular matricula, a document from the consulate that certifies a person’s nationality and identity as a Mexican living abroad. You can also apply to be certified as a Mexican voter residing outside the country.
O’Connor: How do people make an appointment for the mobile consulate? Are you free?
Van Hoozer: Yes, they are free, and Consul Escutia said people have to communicate directly with the consulate staff on the phone. He had some more details.
(SOUNDBITE BY JULIÁN ESCUTIA IN SPANISH): Lo hacemos de esta forma porque en Reno lamentablemente hay un negocio que ha estado vendiendo citas y acaparando citas, locual, pues no es muy positiv porque las citas son gratis.
Van Hoozer: He said that in the past they had problems with the Reno Mobile Consulate’s appointments being reserved by a third-party organization, which then sold those appointments to people. He doesn’t want anyone to fall for this scam because the dates are free.
O’Connor: More generally, since the Vegas consulate is the only Mexican consulate in Nevada, how do they serve the other more rural areas of the state?
Van Hoozer: So the consulate has a network of people across the state who volunteer their time and let the consulate know if there’s something they need to sort out. And [the consulate] also has a 24/7 phone line that people can call if they have problems and are not in Vegas.
O’CONNOR: And has the consulate noticed an increase in demand for its services outside of Las Vegas?
Van Hoozer: Right, so Consul Escutia said there’s always a need. Looking at farm workers alone, they estimate there are at least 2,000 of them on temporary work visas in northern Nevada. They also want workers to contact the consulate if they experience workplace abuse, such as abuse. B. No payment to allow the consulate to offer assistance. They also want to know if people have employers they really like, so they have that information too.
O’Connor: And the Mexican consulate in Las Vegas is now offering its first mobile event in Elko this year.
Van Hoozer: That’s right. Escutia stated that the Boise consulate would host mobile events in Elko ahead of a 2022 reorganization. Now it’s Vegas. He ended our conversation by explaining that many people ask why there is no a [Mexican] Consulate Reno.
(SOUNDBITE BY JULIÁN ESCUTIA IN SPANISH): It is the gran mayoría de la población mexicana en Nevada vive en el sur, es más del 90%. Does not contain significant que el 10% o el 1% sea menos importante, pero definitivamente la concentración de los recursos limitados con los que contamos se tienen que concentrar aquí en el sur de Nevada.
Van Hoozer: He said because such a large portion of Nevada’s Mexican community lives in the southern part of the state, more than 90%, they need to focus their resources there.
Appointments for the Mobile Consulate in February are now open and can be reserved by calling one of the six numbers listed below. Visit the Mexican Consulate in Las Vegas Facebook page for more information.
702-477-2704702-477-2708702-477-2702702-477-2720702-477-2729702-477-2728
Courtesy of the Mexican Consulate in Las Vegas
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Check here the calendar of upcoming Mexican Mobile Consulates.
Support for this coverage comes from America Amplified.
