The Morning News
Local News for Northwest Arkansas

This article was published on Saturday, February 24, 2007 9:43 PM CST in News

Guatemalan Consulate came to Northwest Arkansas

By Pablo Bello
The Morning News
ROGERS -- The Guatemalan Consulate came to Northwest Arkansas to provide passports and identifications to Guatemalans who live in the area.

Guatemalan Consul Jose Barillas, said he came to provide passports, matriculas consulares (identifications), visas, permits to travel and authorize other documents.

"We expect around 600 Guatemalans because we show up once a year," said Barillas, who has his office in Houston.

The jurisdiction of the consulate is Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Mississippi.

Victor Perez, 28, said he came to get a passport and matricula consular to get his legal permanent residence, and those are the documents the immigration service is asking for.

Barillas said he was unaware Rogers Mayor Steve Womack requested in November that Rogers police officers be certified and trained through a program providing local law enforcement similar authority of federal immigration officers. The officer's level of authority would depend on details found in a memorandum of understanding which the city hopes to enter into with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Womack said the plan isn't for the city to have officers patrolling for illegal immigrants, but to have officers with authority to act on immigration issues if illegal immigrants are detained by the department.

The Guatemalan Consul said he would like to know more about the issues Guatemalans are facing in Northwest Arkansas, and if it is necessary to have a meeting with Womack, he will meet him.

Womack said Saturday he would meet with the Mexican Consulate or the Guatemalan Consulate, but he has not received any invitation for an organized visit.

He said the Mexican Consulate sent him a letter in December regarding Rogers' application to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement program.

Andres Chao, the new Mexican consul who came to Northwest Arkansas last week to visit with the Hispanic community, invited Womack to discuss the problems of the Mexican community in the area.

Barillas said the Guatemalan Consulate will come back next year.

"I would like to send greetings to Guatemalans and exhort them to keep working and to not have any flaw, to avoid any problems with the law," said Barillas.

http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/ ... sulate.txt