Open Letter to Secretary of State Rice
April 21, 2008 05:04 PM EST

Secretary Rice, as a citizen of Idaho, I am asking you to intervene at the Department of State and deny the Mexican government permission to site the 48th Mexican Consulate in our state. As a citizen of the United States, I am asking you to uphold Article 55 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.

Article 55 of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations

RESPECT FOR THE LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF THE RECEIVING STATE

1. Without prejudice to their privileges and immunities, it is the duty of all persons [consul personnel] enjoying such privileges to respect the laws and regulations of the receiving state. They also have a duty not to interfere in the internal affairs of the State. (1)

Heather McDonald, writing for the Manhattan Institute’s magazine, the City Journal, describes the activities of the consulates, “Mexican consulates are engineering a back door amnesty for their illegal migrants and trying to discredit American immigration enforcement—activities clearly beyond diplomatic bounds.â€