I've been thinking about this and wanted to put it out there for the rest of you.

I think we should decrease the number of Mexican Consulates in the US.

There are two problems with having Mexican Consulates in the US. First and foremost, they are facilitating illegal aliens. Secondly, the sheer number of Mexican Consulates in the US. I was able to find about 44 and that number does not include satellite branches. In contrast, the US has only 9 embassies in Mexico? Realize how out of balance Mexico is with the rest of the world. Examples:
Germany has 8 here, we have 6 there.
France has 10 we have 8 there.
China has 6 and we have 5 there.
44 is an over whelming number of Mexican Consulates, within the US.
http://www.mexonline.com/consulate.htm

Immigration reform should include plans to remove some of the Mexican Consulates from the US. Not only do we need to remove the people but we also need to remove the government. Considering the above numbers, Mexico should only have about 11 Consulates in the US.

I want you to read the following and consider what it looks like outside of a US Embassy in Mexico and consider how many Americans actually use the embassy on a daily basis.

Also, the following article hints at relocating to a larger building. There was a for lease sign in front of the building today.

This story is a year old but it shows how big the problem is.

http://www.nbc5i.com/news/4201307/detail.html
Growing Pains Hamper Mexican Consulate

POSTED: 3:45 pm CST February 15, 2005
UPDATED: 4:11 pm CST February 15, 2005

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DALLAS -- The Mexican Consulate in Dallas serves more than 1 million per year. Mexican immigrants come from across Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma, but often they find themselves waiting outside regardless of weather conditions before they can see a representative.

The lobby inside the building, located at Interstate 35E and Regal Row, is too small to accommodate the 500 Mexican citizens who seek the consulate's service every day. The line of people typically wraps around the building.

"It's too small for all these people who come here," Orlando Carreto, in line waiting to renew his passport, said. "They got a lot of papers to fix."

Limited rest room facilities also contribute to frustrations that grow among people waiting in line. The building contains one men's room and one women's room, each with two stalls.

"Since there are so many people, they want to come in where it's warm, but they lock the doors and you have to be out there knocking until someone let's you into the rest room," Alondra Sanchez, also waiting in line, said.

According to an NBC 5 report, the men's room is missing a stall door and mold is growing on the walls.

Silvia Sanchez-Lira, a representative of the Mexican Consulate, said the Mexican government is aware of the situation and plans to make improvements.

"Right now, it's not enough for all the needs, so that's the answer to the problem with the bathrooms," she said. "Before, there was not 500 people in this building. That is why Mexico is taking this very seriously."

Sanchez-Lira said the building could accommodate the number of people who daily sought the Mexican government's help. The Mexican population in the Metroplex has grown significantly during the last decade, and demand has outgrown the consulate building.

The Mexican government, Sanchez-Lira said, plans to move the consulate to a larger building within the year, although no location was specified.

"The only thing I can tell you (is) the counsel general, Carlos Alba, is trying to move from this building (to) a bigger facility, a bigger lobby," Sanchez-Lira said.

Copyright 2005 by nbc5i.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed
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Today at the Protest in front of the Mexican Consulate in Dallas, TX, I looked around and saw piles of trash, where people congregated across the street from the consulate. I saw how unclean the place was and the grime on the benches and walls. The sidewalk attracted insects because of all the spilt food and drinks. It was black in areas that could not be washed by rainfall. The worst part, it smelt like urine. Absolutely, one of the dirtiest places I've ever been.

Dixie

Just another interesting link
http://usembassy.state.gov/