How can Mexican Consulate help SLO County? Here’s what leaders told new ambassador
During a visit with the new ambassador of Mexico’s Central Coast consulate, San Luis Obispo County leaders asked for help finding Mixteco translators and shortening wait times for appointments.
On Thursday, the Latino Outreach Council invited Consul Ricardo Santana Velázquez to meet local community groups along with representatives of Congressman Salud Carbajal, State Assembly member Dawn Addis and state Senator John Laird at the San Luis Obispo County Office of Education headquarters.
“My goal is to to talk with the locals in the three counties that we have in our jurisdiction,” Santana Velázquez told reporters after Thursday’s meeting. “I need to know the needs that the Mexican community have here to assist them.”
Santana Velázquez represents the Oxnard consulate, which serves the counties of San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura.
His first day on the job was July 1, and his term lasts a minimum of three years, he said.
“The U.S. is the first and the main friend of Mexico,” Santana Velázquez said at the meeting. “Not only that — we are neighbors, we have a dynamic borderline.”
During the past 42 years, he has served as a diplomat for Mexico — working in six different states, including Texas and Arizona, he said.
“I am so happy to stay here in this area,” Santana Velázquez said. “Exceptional weather, exceptional people.”
Services offered at the Mexican Consulate
The Mexican Consulate in Oxnard helps Mexican citizens obtain birth certificates, passports, certificates of fraternity and other official documents, Santana Velázquez said.
Additionally, U.S. citizens with at least one Mexican parent can apply for Mexican citizenship at the consulate, he said. Applicants must bring their birth certificate along with the birth certificates for both of their parents.
The consulate also helps Mexican citizens living on the Central Coast apply for citizenship in the United States by teaching basic English classes, providing funding for registration and connecting folks with classes to prepare for citizenship exams, Santana Velázquez said.
Finally, the consulate connects folks with health care and legal services. It also provides financial assistance, such as helping folks send money to relatives in Mexico.
People can make an appointment at the consulate by phone at 805-330-3060, online at citas.sre.gob.mx or through social media app What’sApp, according to Santana Velázquez.
The consulate will also offer pop-up consulate events in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties throughout the year, he said. This way folks don’t have to travel to Oxnard for an appointment, an effort Santana Velázquez said he hopes to expand next year.
SLO County leaders ask for Mixteco translators, shorter wait times
During Thursday’s meeting, SLO County leaders told the ambassador that it’s challenging to find translators who speak Mixteco, an indigenous language of Mexico.
The Migrant Education Program serves about 1,100 migrant students and their families in SLO and Santa Barbara counties, according to program coordinator Keith Badger.
Not only does the organization support students’ learning, but it also works to support families by helping parents register their children for school and connecting them with services, program recruiter Josy Aguilar said.
The Migrant Education Program serves numerous Mixteco-speaking families, but it hasn’t been able to find a Mixteco translator, Aguilar said.
SLO County Superintendent of Schools Jim Brescia and San Luis Obispo Police Department Chief Rick Scott noted that their agencies are also struggling to find Mixteco translators, even though they have the funding to hire one.
“Money’s not the issue right now, it’s people,” Brescia said.
According to Santana Velázquez, the Oxnard consulate also struggles to find Mixteco translators. He said he will prioritize connecting local groups with translators when they are available.
Those at Thursday’s meeting also said that it’s difficult to schedule an appointment at the consulate as they fill up quickly — an issue that Santana Velázquez acknowledged.
“It’s a very high demand that we have,” Santana Velázquez said, noting that the consulate takes about 135 appointments per day.
Los Angeles County residents often go to the Oxnard consulate for appointments because the Los Angeles consulate is booked, Santana Velázquez said, which contributes to the high demand.
To serve more people, the consulate needs more staff, Santana Velázquez said.
After Mexico’s presidential election next year, the consulate will have an opportunity to request more funding to hire additional employees, he said.
