While the U.S Government usually welcomes Mexican Consulates, the Boise location was filled with controversy and oppositions from its conception. Mexican Consulates, in general, serve as a governmental representative of Mexico and provides identification cards for Mexican individuals who can prove their citizenship.[1] Without the identification cards, Mexican citizens have difficulties with opening bank accounts, obtaining social services, and gaining driver’s licenses.[2] The purpose of a Mexican Consulate in Boise is to not only help Mexican citizens who are attempting to work legally within the United States, but also promote Mexican culture, pursue new business relationships and embolden trade.[3] In 2003, Senator Mike Crapo of Boise, Idaho supported a Mexican Consulate and Matricular Consular I.D. to be established in Caldwell.[4] Prior to this support, the closest Mexican Consulate was located in Salt Lake City, Utah, where the Mexican consul was responsible for Mexican citizens in Utah, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming.[5]
2005 brought the Mexican consul, Salvador Jimenez Munoz, from Salt Lake City to Boise in order to push for a Mexican consulate. He spoke before a small crowd at the Garden City Public Library speaking in Spanish and English. Lucio Prado, a board member of the Institute for Mexicans Living Abroad, claims that Idaho had an “unfair label as a racist state and the consulate would make Idaho look more friendly to Mexicans….A Mexican consulate would soften the image of the state.”[6] In 2008, Boise became the chosen location for the Mexican Consulate, with its doors opening in early Spring of 2009.[7]
Dissenters of the Mexican Consulate in Boise
Robert Vasquez
Strong resistance to the Mexican Consulate in Idaho stemmed from Canyon County Commissioner Robert Vasquez. In 2004, Vasquez submitted a bill to Mexico in the amount of $2 million for “detentions and welfare services spend on undocumented workers.” His argument came from having to turn away American citizens who requested county social service. He claimed that illegal immigrants were draining tax dollars, lowering the wages for American workers, brought disease and crime, and provided a threat to America’s national security.[8] Strong retaliation was felt by representatives of the Mexican Consulate and local farmworkers. Vasquez's rhetoric was argued by reporters to “stir up hatred that might not distinguish between documented and undocumented immigrants...It's about an elected official using a position of power as a platform to legitimize stereotypes.”[9]
Bill Sali
U.S. Representative Bill Sali was one of the strongest proponents for the delay of the Mexican Consulate in Boise. He believed a consulate would make it easier for illegal aliens to reside in the Treasure Valley. He wrote a letter to the Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urging her investigate potential abuse at consulates in other states. Sali claimed that consulates were and are used to “accommodate the willful breaking of United States law….[and] Idaho is one of the many states plagued by a significant presence of illegal immigrants.”[10] Sali’s opposition of illegal immigration amnesty was used as a political stance when combatting challenger Matt Salisbury for the Republican primary race for Idaho’s 1st Congressional District. As part of his campaign, he accused Salisbury of supporting illegal immigration.[11]
The Mexican Consulate Today
Within its first year, the consulate was able to serve 15,000 Mexican citizens and hopes to incorporate mobile programs for individuals who cannot travel to Boise.[12] Within the community, the Mexican Consulate has become a very influential organization by making its presence known through the Day of The Dead Exhibits presented by the Idaho State Historical Society, Casasola Archives photography exhibit of the Mexican Revolution, and making an attendance at the Civil Liberties Symposium founded by the Friends of Minidoka.
photo by El Consulado de Mexico en Boise
701 Morrison Knudsen Plaza Dr, ste 102
Boise, ID 83712
Phone: (208) 343-6228
Sources
1. “31,000 Mexicans Receive ID Cards from Consulate.” Idaho Statesman, April 8, 2002, sec. Local, p. 4.
2. Druzin, Heather. “Speaker: Idaho Needs Consulate.” Idaho Statesman, May 22, 2005, sec. Local, p. 1.
5. Irons, Kenneth E. “Immigration Perks.” Idaho Statesman, May 3, 2003, sec. Editorial, p. 8.
7. KTVB. "Idaho's Mexican consulate opens in Boise." http://www.ktvb.com/news/local/64172517.html.
8. "Mexican Consulate Served 15,000 in its First Year." Idaho Statesman, February 16, 2010, sec. Local.
[1] “31,000 Mexicans receive ID cards from consulate,” Idaho Statesman, April 8, 2002.
[2] Kenneth E. Irons, “Immigration Perks,” Idaho Statesman, May 3, 2003.
[3] Kathleen Kreller, “Mexico May Open Consulate in Boise to Assist Its Citizens, Promote Trade-But Rep Bill Sali Says He Fears the Office Would ‘Make It Easier for Illegal Aliens to be Here.’” Idaho Statesman, March 8, 2008.
[4] Irons.
[5] Heather Druzin, “Speaker: Idaho Needs Consulate,” Idaho Statesman, May 22, 2005.
[6] Ibid.
[7] KTVB, “Idaho’s Mexican Consulate Opens in Boise,” http://www.ktvb.com/news/local/64172517.html.
[8] Sandra Forester, “Canyon Official Bills Mexico for $2 Million,” Idaho Statesman, April 23, 2003.
[9] “Vasquez's Grandstanding a Pointless Abuse of Office,” Idaho Statesman, April 26, 2004.
[10] Kreller, p. 1.
[11] Druzin, Heather. "Upstart aims to topple Sali for U.S. House - Nampa long-shot Matt Salisbury says it's time for a change, but money and familiarity favor the incumbent." Idaho Statesman, May 18, 2008.
[12] “Mexican Consulate Served 15,000 In Its First Year,” Idaho Statesman, February 16, 2010.
