The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Consulates unite to help their citizens
Immigrants voice concerns over change in administration.
What will happen when Donald Trump assumes the presidency on Friday? How will the incoming government’s relationship with existing consulates change?
While in theory ties should remain the same, many Hispanics who reside here in the United States have doubts and questions.
With that in mind, several consulates in the U.S. are making efforts to offer help and assistance to immigrants living in this country.
In recent weeks, one such effort took place at the Consulate General of Mexico in Atlanta, when the consulates of El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and México signed a joint agreement. The idea behind the initiative is to reaffirm the cooperative ties and friendship between the countries, with the goal of strengthening protection and assistance efforts for their citizens living in Georgia.
“At the Consulate of Guatemala we can say that, in the event of an immigration crisis – which we hope does not occur – a reaction of strong support for the consular networks has been created within our government, in the sense that they have allowed us a considerable increase in personal, as it’s no mystery that we are overwhelmed by the amount of people [seeking services],” explained Rafael Novielli, consul general of Guatemala in Atlanta.
The diplomat also added that among changes that will go into effect will be increased legal counseling services and a more efficient document-processing system.
These initiatives were created through a proposal by the ambassadors of the Northern Triangle (Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador) after the election on Nov. 8.
“The ambassadors understood that it was very important to give a joint message and initiate a process to sign this type of agreement, and to identify in what way our work can help people,” said Javier Díaz de León, consul general of Mexico in Atlanta.