COMMUNITY
Consulate works to protect Mexican nationals, residents
Albuquerque office provides wide-ranging services across New Mexico and Northwest Texas
As people line up for a passport, permit or even a wellness check-in, a team of officials at the Consulate of Mexico in Albuquerque works to make Mexicans living in the U.S. feel safe while away from home.
鈥淚 think the border between Mexico and the U.S. is where the usefulness of the consulate is clearer,鈥� Consul Patricia Pinz贸n told the Journal in Spanish.
Amid the current immigration crackdown, the consulate has been monitoring detention centers. They evaluate facility conditions, verify that proper medical care is being administered, interview Mexican nationals and contact their families.
鈥淐ommunication with authorities helps us a lot. Checking if things are going the way they should, which they normally are, and also to calm down the community,鈥� Pinz贸n said.
The consulate makes daily visits to the three detention centers in the state 鈥� Cibola County Correctional Center, Otero County Processing Center and Torrance County Detention Facility 鈥� and others in Northwest Texas.
Pinz贸n said their biggest enemy has been misinformation about immigration situations.
鈥淲e try to educate the community. Instead of posting things to social media, they should call us so we can confirm if a family member has been detained, or if there鈥檚 an operation going on, or even if there鈥檚 any rumor we can confirm,鈥� Pinz贸n said.
The State Department announced Monday that it has revoked over 175,000 visas. Additionally, as of July 11, Immigration and Customs Enforcement had held 65,000 people in detention, according to data from the
Beyond monitoring detention centers, the consulate functions as a wide-reaching resource for the community, providing services to 24 counties in New Mexico and 38 in Northwest Texas.
鈥淲e are what we call a one-stop shop, a place where you find everything you need,鈥� Pinz贸n said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important because in our community, you鈥檙e coming from a country that鈥檚 not yours and you deal with a different health system, education system and different language.鈥�
Their services range from giving people official identification 鈥� like passports and permits to visit Mexico 鈥� to providing legal, financial, educational and health assistance.
Some services include handing out scholarships, helping people connect with contacts for their businesses and even checking their blood pressure levels while they鈥檙e waiting in line at the Consulate of Mexico鈥檚 office.
Pinz贸n said the consulate鈥檚 services are a result of the work of multiple agencies, including collaborations with the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque Police Department and the UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Every day, they receive around 100 people at their office.
鈥淢ore than numbers, every case is a story,鈥� Pinz贸n said.
Pinz贸n, who has worked across different consulate positions in the country, said human stories from the border, like a family member dying while crossing or people dying at the hands of authorities, are the ones that lead the consulate鈥檚 mission.
The International Organization for Migration documented 686 deaths and disappearances of migrants on the U.S.-Mexico border in 2022, making it the deadliest land route for migrants.
鈥淭hanks to those stories, stories of people that crossed, 鈥� it lets us understand the complexity of this,鈥� Pinz贸n said.
Karmina Conde is a news reporter for the Journal. You can reach her at kconderuiz@abqjournal.com
