Hunger strike in Fresno results in changes for Mexican consulates in the USA

A 19-day hunger strike by a member of the Mexico 2024 Coalition “Voto Desde El Extranjero” resulted in changes that will help Mexican nationals seeking help at consulates throughout the United States, including the Mexican Consulate in Fresno.

A week after the coalition coordinator Ángel Noriega and other members delivered letters requesting improvements in consular services to Nuria Zúñiga Alaniz, the assigned consul of Fresno, the Mexican government responded.

Local changes include:

▪ Public service hours will be extended until 1 p.m. starting March 25;

▪ Older adults, people with disabilities, and those with an emergency will not need an appointment;

▪ There will be special opening hours for pregnant women, the monolingual indigenous population, and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

These changes are already in process.

In a press release, Fresno consulate officials said that dialogue was established to address the situation, which included two days of talks with Mexican nationals abroad and engineer Luis Gutiérrez Reyes, head of the Instituto de los Mexicanos en el Exterior (IME). Gutiérrez Reyes presented the proposals to the coalition.

The Fresno consulate serves approximately 4,500 people monthly, according to officials.

“We lifted the hunger strike last Friday (March 15). But since there was no response, then we decided, we agreed by consensus, to return today (March 18) to the consulate now with a sit-in,” said Noriega, adding that Olga Valle, a teacher, joined the hunger strike for 11 days.

Coalition member María Cervantes fasted for 9 days.

Members of the coalition and representatives of the Mexican community residing in Sacramento also participated in the dialogue, along with people in Austin and Houston in Texas; and Seattle, Washington. They were also present at Monday’s sit-in via WhatsApp.

Noriega said that they asked Mexican Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alicia Bárcena Ibarra for “better consular service. We are asking for good treatment. That all consulate employees be kind, be empathetic. This is the home of the Mexicans.”

“The appointment system that the consular system has does not work,” said Noriega. “Let each consulate be responsible for its own appointment center.”

Currently, people must register online for an appointment.

Noriega said that recently there was an agreement between Foreign Affairs and the consulates so that many Mexicans could validate their voter credentials without an appointment. That action, he said, did not require an executive or legislative order.

“Let them serve us without appointments,” said Noriega. “We are tired of these deals.”

Gutiérrez Reyes said he was in Fresno on behalf of Bárcena, the foreign minister, to speak directly with the coalition and listen to the demands and proposals they presented.

“We bring answers to each of their demands,” said Gutiérrez Reyes.

Both government officials and members of the coalition signed the official documents with the commitments and explanations of issues that still require legislative intervention.

Although in the last six-year term there has seen an increase in new consulates, the appointment system has changed, and some services have been expanded, Gutiérrez Reyes said “There is still a lot to do, we recognize it and we are working on it. to improve services.”

Gutiérrez Reyes said that the response presented to the coalition is “a basis to work from,” adding that there are things that are already in process.

Among the actions taken to make the service of the consular network more efficient, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (SRE) proposed extending walk-in care everywhere for older adults and those with disabilities, in addition to emergency cases, as well as special hours for pregnant women, the monolingual indigenous population and members of the LGBTQ+ community.

“Let’s continue in communication, let’s continue working. The greatest interest that the chancellor, the president of the Republic, and the Foreign Ministry have is to provide better service and more services for you,” said Gutiérrez Reyes.

Consulate serves the counties of Fresno, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Merced, Madera, Kings, Tulare, Kern, Mono, San Benito, Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Luis Obispo.