The Consulate of Mexico in Presidio visited six Mexican nationals being held in detention centers in Midland and Odessa over the weekend, part of the consulate’s broader responsibility to assist and protect Mexican citizens living or traveling in its region.
Consul Gamaliel Bustillos Muñoz and members of the consulate’s protection team made the visits to provide consular assistance, according to a social media post from the consulate.
The visits illustrate one of the less visible functions of a consulate. In addition to issuing passports and other documents and providing information to the public, Mexican consulates provide assistance to Mexican nationals who are arrested or detained in the United States.
Consular officials can visit detained citizens, provide information about their rights and the U.S. legal process, help them communicate with family members and provide information about attorneys and other resources. Consular representatives do not serve as a detainee’s attorney and cannot order U.S. authorities to release someone or interfere with American court proceedings.
Under the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations, foreign nationals who are arrested or detained have the right to have their consulate notified at their request, while consular officials have the right to communicate with and visit their nationals in detention.
The Presidio consulate serves Mexican nationals across a large portion of West Texas, making outreach and protection work an important part of its operations beyond the immediate border community.
“Este pasado fin de semana, el cónsul de México Gamaliel Bustillos Muñoz y el equipo de protección de #TuConsulado, visitaron a 6 connacionales en los centros de detención en Midland y Odessa, Texas, con el fin de brindarles #AsistenciaConsular,” the consulate said in its announcement.
The consulate encourages Mexican nationals who need assistance to contact their nearest consular office.
