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Mexican Foreign Minister Juan Ramón de la Fuente on Thursday reaffirmed the Mexican government's support for its citizens in the United States, during his first working visit to the Consulate General in Dallas, Texas.
The official led several meetings to strengthen the strategy of comprehensive care and protection provided through the consular network to Mexicans residing in this country.
"I am here to convey a very clear message to the entire community of Mexicans in the United States: you are not alone, our network of consular services is prepared to support and protect you in any eventuality," said the official, who instructed the consulates to make the services they provide more efficient, to meet the needs of their fellow citizens and to respond quickly, offering a warmer treatment.
In this regard, he reported that next week the process of digitizing some of the most in-demand services at consulates, such as birth, marriage and death certificates, will begin, which will allow for better service to be provided to compatriots.
Foreign Minister De la Fuente, who traveled to this city on the instructions of President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo, met with the country's eleven consuls based in the states of Texas, Oklahoma and Albuquerque, and greeted representatives of the Mexican community, to whom he reiterated that the defense of their human rights is a priority for this federal administration.
Likewise, the official spoke with allied lawyers and the Legal Assistance Program for Mexican Persons through External Legal Advisers in the United States of America (PALE), to plan the defense of Mexicans in northern Texas, as well as legal strategies to assert their rights.
Through the PALE program, 232 Mexican families settled in Dallas have received legal advice and representation to defend their rights and regularize their immigration status.
As part of this visit, and accompanied by the head of the Unit for North America, Roberto Velasco, and the Consul General of Dallas, Francisco de la Torre, the Foreign Minister met with Mexican women leaders who shared their stories and the contributions each one has made to the Hispanic community living in Texas. De la Fuente conveyed to them Mexico's commitment to safeguard the rights of the migrant community.
The foreign minister also visited and toured the Processing Center of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Office in Dallas to learn first-hand about the processes followed at the center to ensure that the human rights of fellow citizens are respected at all times.
In a press conference, the foreign minister highlighted the efforts being made by the federal government to combat fentanyl through a new security strategy, as demonstrated by the recent seizure of this drug in the country, which is unprecedented in the history of this opioid.
Finally, De la Fuente met with executives of Mexican investment companies in the United States, where they generate thousands of jobs, with the aim of strengthening and creating bridges of understanding in the bilateral trade relationship.
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