Diplomatic activity traditionally involves political relations between states and is carried out through envoys or ad-hoc representatives accredited by governments to their counterparts or to international organizations. The first case would be an ambassador to another nation, and in the second, a representative of a country to, for example, the UN.
In addition to this role, there is consular action, which constitutes the assistance and support of a state to its nationals abroad, such as documentation and protection. Mostly, this work is carried out with local rather than national authorities.
Since the 1990s, the Mexican Foreign Service (SEM) has integrated diplomatic and consular functions into a single "branch," as well as technical and administrative officials into another. Today, Mexico has about 1,050 SEM members, 700 diplomatic-consular and 350 technical-administrative.
This total is distributed among the 161 representations abroad, including embassies, multilateral missions, liaison offices, and consulates. Additionally, around 100 SEM members are regularly assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) itself.
Undoubtedly, the Mexican consular network in the United States is one of the SEM's substantive structures. It is the largest network in the world representing one country in another; these more than 50 offices employ about 340 SEM members and nearly 1,500 local employees.
Moreover, when adding the diplomatic staff at the embassy in Washington and the missions to the OAS and the UN, almost half of the SEM is at any given time assigned to the United States, further reflecting the importance of the bilateral relationship, but also the diversity of links that constitute it.
It is estimated that 98% of the Mexican diaspora is concentrated in the United States, consisting of natives from our country, both documented and undocumented, and several generations of descendants with the right to Mexican nationality. This right multiplies consular activity, which is manifested in a wide variety of services and actions: identity documents, birth registrations, marriages, and repatriation of deceased persons.
But there is also a close relationship with community organizations; with local authorities, both American and Mexican; with foundations and media, among other social and political actors. They also serve as a link for health actions, distance education, and for months now, work has been underway on mechanisms to offer services in various indigenous languages.
Consular assistance has been around for many years, and the first point of contact with the public happens with local employees of the representations, many of whom are members of the local communities. But it can be seen that, with the universe of potential users, there is only one employee or consular officer for every 20,000 Mexicans in the United States.
Another restriction on the quality and timeliness of services is the limited budget with which it operates, which limits the number of employees and consular spaces. A constant issue: the federal treasury returns a minimal part of what our compatriots pay in fees for services. Much of the consular work is done at no cost to the public, but with operating costs for the representations.
An example of this is the "mobile consulates," which usually consist of weekend actions at hours away from the consular offices. Vehicles, travel allowances, extra salaries, and insurance are required to bring documentation services to communities far from the headquarters. Each of these trips costs an average of fifteen thousand dollars. And these are fellow citizens who need a passport, birth certificate, consular registration, etc!
Greater participation from state and municipal authorities in Mexico, which are the regions where remittances arrive, in the provision of services and materials; a higher percentage of timely reimbursement from the Treasury for consular operations, would allow, among other actions, this extensive network to be strengthened with better services and more personnel.
It should be noted that our Consular Network operates far beyond what the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations conceived more than 60 years ago. Our consuls constantly dialogue with local authorities and political forces, the growing relevance of Mexican communities in the American social scene makes them political participants in the future of that nation. Our consular action is a pillar of this dynamism in the modernity of relations between nations.
BY DAVID NÁJERA
AMBASSADOR OF MEXICO, CURRENTLY PRESIDENT OF THE ASSOCIATION OF THE MEXICAN FOREIGN SERVICE WWW.ASEMX.ORG