Thread: The Invasion continues: Mex. reopens 48th consulate

exican consulate opening in N.O.

Associated Press - April 19, 2008 5:24 PM ET

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - The Mexican consulate is reopening in New Orleans. The Mexican government closed it six years ago, saying budget constraints required it to focus on areas with higher concentrations of Mexican tourists and immigrants.

The opening is planned for Monday, when President Bush, Mexican President Felipe Calderon and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper are scheduled to be in the city for the North American Leaders' Summit.

Carlos Gonzalez Magallon, Mexico's consul general in Houston, advocated reopening the consulate to protect the rights of Mexicans working in the area. Many immigrant workers moved to the region for the rebuilding effort following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. An estimated 30,000 Mexican nationals in southeast Louisiana have had to rely on diplomatic services provided from Houston, about 350 miles from New Orleans.

This will be the 48th Mexican consulate in the United States.

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