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August 18. 2006 6:59AM

Different kind of production
Local Mexican citizens visit traveling consulate


PABLO ROS
Tribune Staff Writer



ELKHART -- Two or three people stood outside Elco Theatre downtown on Thursday morning as though waiting for the ticket booth to open. Above them, in bright red letters, were the words "Island of Blues" and "Welcome Mexican Consulate Aug. 17-19."

Trying to distract her restless 2- and 5-year-old granddaughters, María Peña opened a Chinese fortune cookie and handed it to them while they waited for their appointment at the Mexican consulate.

The Mexican consulate is operating at the theater from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. today and from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday. It is a "mobile consulate" from Chicago that has been touring Illinois and Indiana since March and is headed to Wisconsin next week. It's scheduled to come back to Elkhart in October.


The point of the mobile consulate, which has functioned for the past several years, is to bring certain government services to local Mexican residents who don't have the time or cannot afford to seek them at the Mexican consulate in Chicago.

"Some people just wouldn't go (to Chicago)," said consul Julio Huerta, on the second floor of the theater, where he was supervising the operation.

The mobile consulate issues passports and government identification cards, among other documents, at their standard cost: $27 for a 5-year government identification card; $84 for a 5-year passport.

Huerta said all appointments with the mobile consulate for this weekend, more than 500 of them, were already full, but added that the consulate would do its best not to turn anyone away.

A Mexican identification card, which has no counterpart in the United States, is just that: a card with an individual's name, address and photo. It is not a work permit. To local Mexican residents who don't have a driver's license, it is useful in many ways, as when opening a bank account, Huerta said.

The mobile consulate also is there to answer legal questions, Huerta said. Most people ask about migration or employment matters, he said.

Peña, who is from Ligonier, said she came to the mobile consulate to apply for dual citizenship for her granddaughters, who are American citizens. Under American and Mexican law, a person may be a citizen of both countries.

"It's much more practical when they come here," Peña said of the consulate. "Besides, you come with an appointment so you don't have to wait in line."

Peña, who said she is originally from Monterrey in northeast Mexico and also is a dual citizen of Mexico and the States, remembers going to the Mexican consulate in Chicago.

"You have to get there really early and stay in line for hours. And sometimes they close before you even get to the end of the line," she said.

Many seeking services at the mobile consulate said they found out about it on the radio or in the newspaper and were using it for the first time. They came from Goshen, Elkhart, Bristol and Mishawaka. A few said they took the day off from work.

"It's perfect," said Rosalba Canales, an Elkhart resident, of the mobile consulate. She was with her husband and two children. "Now we can all have IDs."

The mobile consulate was organized by Learning Generation Initiative, an Indiana nonprofit organization that promotes adult learning.

This is the second year that the nonprofit has provided such services to the community as part of its outreach efforts, said executive director Lisa Walenceus. Learning Generation Initiative -- which offers a variety of classes to adults, including English, GED and computer training -- partnered with other local nonprofits and a few banks to cover all expenses.

"It's a way for the community to get the services they need but also to make them aware of other community services available," Walenceus said, standing on the first floor of the theater, where several organizations had staged their information tables.

Staff writer Pablo Ros: pros@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6555