Estimated read time: 4-5 minutes
- Eduardo Baca Cuenca, Mexico's general consul to Utah, has been monitoring President-elect Donald Trump's immigration plans, and his office has provided advice to the Mexican community.
- He urges calm until solid details emerge from Trump, who has vowed to crack down on immigrants here illegally.
- The consular office has also emphasized to the Mexican community that immigrants have rights.
SALT LAKE CITY — Like most anyone tuned in to the immigration issue, Eduardo Baca Cuenca, general consul at the Mexican Consulate in Salt Lake City, has been paying attention to President-elect Donald Trump's talk of mass deportations upon taking office.
His office has also been contending with queries and concerns from the Mexican community in Utah as its members brace for what's to come. Mexicans account for the largest share of immigrants from any single country in the United States by a wide margin and, likewise, account for the largest share of immigrants in the country illegally of any individual nation, according to the Pew Research Center.
Still, Baca Cuenca, like many, awaits more concrete information, though his office is carrying out "preliminary planning" in anticipation of what may be coming and counseling the Mexican community here on dealing with police and immigration officials. "I think we're waiting to see what is or isn't announced on Monday and (in) the days after," he said Friday.
Those seeking stepped-up immigration enforcement in Utah and the rest of the country as well as immigrant advocates have been raising their voices ahead of Trump's inauguration on Monday in Washington. They aren't the only ones. Mexican Consulate officials in the state have also been monitoring the situation, quietly offering advice to the Mexican community in Utah.
"Whatever happens, you have rights," said Baca Cuenca, repeating one of the key points the office has been delivering, echoing immigration attorneys and other groups that work with immigrants. "I think that's one of the basic things that we have been doing and, like I said, not only ourselves but other organizations."
His office has also been trying to convey a sense of calm amid the heightened attention the immigration issue is getting, countering misinformation spread via social media and other means. While he's still a few days from office, immigration is a priority issue for Trump, and he has vowed to step up deportations, focusing at least initially on immigrants here illegally who have criminal backgrounds.
"Nothing's happened so far, so panic shouldn't be what prevails," Baca Cuenca said.
Even so, his office has been providing more appointments for people seeking new or updated Mexican passports and consular identity cards, presumably in the event they face deportation. His office has also been preparing for an uptick in Mexicans seeking paperwork for their U.S.-born kids so they can claim Mexican citizenship — as allowed in Mexican law — should the need arise.
Depending on how the issue unfolds, Mexico can't interfere in the politics of the United States, thus the consulate's role would be limited. Immigrants here illegally, of course, come from around the world, though the majority come from Latin America, with El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras collectively accounting for another large chunk. "Our role would be how can we support that community and especially that their rights are respected in any deportation process," Baca Cuenca said.
In the wake of Trump's election, however, a representative from the Mexican Consulate took part in a "Know Your Rights" session in Salt Lake City last month organized by Utah immigration attorneys. It's also taken part in other immigration clinics since Trump's election and offered advice via social media on dealing with police and immigration officials.
"If you resist detention or arrest, you could be committing a crime and make them take you by force, which could hurt you or even result in criminal charges," reads a message from the Mexican government's Information and Assistance Center for Mexican People on the consulate Facebook page. "If you're not a U.S. citizen, it could lead to your deportation."
Another post from the same government office spells out the rights of those detained — to remain silent, to speak to the consulate, to consult with an attorney and more.
Some of the Mexican nationals his office is hearing from are nervous, Baca Cuenca said, but they're also heeding advice to stay calm until more solid information emerges. "Up to this point, there's a lot of speculation, but we'll have to act on whatever concrete measures are announced or not," he said.
