Día de la Mujer Latina ("Day of the Latin Woman") is an organization focusing on Hispanic women's health. The organization puts on events in over 20 United States' cities bringing together many local health providers, businesses, and churches for a Health Fair for the family that includes free screenings, exams, and multi-cultural music, and has been celebrated in Lexington for the past eight years. The 1,000+ who attend will have an opportunity to learn about health, have a fun time, and sit down one-on-one with Christians who will pray for them and share the Gospel.
As has been the case since 2002 in Lexington, and is the case at most Día de la Mujer Latina events, the Mexican Consulate uses this opportunity to help its citizens with passports and the Matricula Consular cards. The Mexican Consulate collaborates with churches, schools, and other organizations through its "Mobile Consulate," and has done so in more than 20 locations for the past eight years in the state of Kentucky. Some concern has been expressed by residents of the community concerning the legality of the Mexican Consulate having a mobile clinic. This service is provided in many states by many other country's Consulates as well, and is always done with the permission of the U.S. federal and state government. Each country's Consulate works carefully to obtain all of the necessary federal and state permits to arrange these events, and often U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the FBI are contacted as well. Several have mentioned the Vienna Convention, signed in 1963 by the United Nations, as proof that these activities are outside the bounds of the law. A PDF version of the Vienna Convention can be viewed on the UN's website here.
- The Vienna Convention is not U.S. law, but an international treaty.
- It has nothing to do with a Consulate traveling between states in the U.S., but rather establishes a Consulate's right to be present in a foreign country, or "State" as worded in the document.
- It gives Consulates the opportunity to "open a vice-consulate or a consular agency in a locality other than that in which it is itself established" as well as "the opening of an office forming part of an existing consular post elsewhere than at the seat thereof" provided that they obtain permission from the U.S. government, which they have.
- Each time the Consulate sets up or changes dates or locations for its mobile clinics, they have to go through a long process of petitions and approvals with the U.S. government well in advance.
- Other than a handful of anti-immigrant protesters over the last eight years, no one including law enforcement has ever questioned these activities.
The Mexican Consulate is not violating any laws in coming to Southland or in any other mobile location.
During the event, Mexican citizens who have previously contacted the Consulate will have the chance to receive or renew their passports or Matricula Consular cards. The Matricula Consular card is a Mexican-issued ID card that is recognized by some U.S. banks, businesses, and schools. The Mexican Consulate, as does any country's government, takes great care in the way that they process paperwork.
- They have a large group of staff who arrive in advance of the event to setup.
- Only those with pre-arranged appointments and correct supporting documentation are seen.
- The mobile Consulate has a remote computer system that ties directly into their database at their regional headquarters in Indianapolis.
Though Matricula Consular cards are not a valid, U.S. government-issued ID, there is nothing illegal about these cards. The local police have endorsed the bank's use of these cards to open checking accounts because it keeps people from carrying cash and promotes safety. Visas, work permits, drivers' licenses, or any immigration-related papers will not be dealt with at this event.
If you would like to contact the Mexican Consulate directly with questions about the purpose or arrangements for this visit, please feel free to call them at (317) 951-0005, 9am. – 4pm CST. If you would like to listen to a podcast interview with Bill Hybels from Willow Creek Church in Chicago about the church and immigration please visit www.invlex.org. It's a large file and may take a few minutes to load, or you can right-click it and save it to listen to on any mp3-player. If you would like to help by volunteering for the Día de la Mujer Latina, we would love to have you join with us to show Jesus' love to a community that needs Him. Please e-mail Pastor Chal Knox, .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), to let him know if you could help with children's activities, the welcome area, setup, or cleanup. Spanish is not a requirement.