Does this make any sense ....Mexicans are leaving Las Vegas b/c there's no jobs and yet the Mexican government is expanding its consulate to a space 5 times its current size? What gives? Do they expect that their Senator Harry Reid will ram amnesty down our throats so that they will have plenty of clientele to 'service"?

Mexican Consulate expanding to keep up with need

Updated: Feb 4, 2009 07:03 PM

Katherine Whaley reporting

They're a big part of the Las Vegas economy. And now many of them are finding jobs somewhere else.

The Mexican consulate here in Las Vegas is doing what it can to help local workers during these tough times. That means expanding their facility to meet the growing demands.

The consul general of Mexico doesn't take long to identify the number one concern for Mexicans living in Las Vegas. "The economy, the layoffs, because many Mexicans are integrated into the mainstream of society here in Las Vegas," Mariano Lemus said.

Jose Orozco is trying to hang onto his job. "I work, I'm a janitor, I have two kids and a wife," he explains. "I try to work it every day."

Today, he's filling out paperwork for proper identification so he can stay here. "I have friends going all over the United States, leaving from here, Vegas, because there's no more employment here."

But with the shrinking economy also comes a longer wait for people filling out paperwork for a one-way ticket back to Mexico. "Before we used to get ten to twelve people, now we are getting about 26-40 every day," Lemus said.

The Mexican consulate sees hundreds of people every day, and if you come by, you'll probably see a line out the door. With the needs of the Mexican community in Las Vegas growing, they're making a move to a bigger facility.

The new office, located at Hoover and 6th, will be five times the size of the current one. The consul general hopes that with the new location there will be new hope for Mexicans building a life in Las Vegas. "There are a lot of people - entrepreneurs, teachers, technicians - that are working and are very involved in the Nevada community, the Vegas community," Lemus explains.

The consul general told us that many workers are taking jobs in other fields. Many of them are leaving the service or construction industry in Las Vegas for jobs in agriculture in California.

The new consulate is set to open in May.

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