About once a month, the Mexican Consulate in Chicago brings a mobile version of their office to help the rapidly growing Wisconsin Latino population with important voting documentation. It's been nearly one year since Gov. Scott Walker asked President Obama and the ambassador of Mexico to open a permanent consulate office in Wisconsin.
Its last visit was towards the end of September, when the consulate set up at an Appleton church and helped over 800 people within a five day period, reported the Post Crescent.
While the consulate doesn't offer its full range of services, it does save many Wisconsin Latinos from having to make the three-hour trip to Chicago to have their passports renewed.
One of the biggest barriers Mexican nationals face is in regards to the new voter ID laws. On Monday, an appeals court upheld the new law requiring a photo ID. The Supreme Court is expected to soon make a decision.
In 2014, the consulate served over 9,900 Mexican nationals at sites in Appleton, Beloit, Green Bay, Kenosha, Milwaukee, Racine and Waukesha, according to Alfredo Gomez Sepulveda, a coordinator for the Chicago consulate's mobile program. Sepulveda said negotiations are underway to add a permanent office in Wisconsin and that firm details could come next year.
Gov. Walker wrote to Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on Oct. 2, 2013 asking for a permanent consulate office in Wisconsin.
"Wisconsin's Hispanic population is growing rapidly in the state and is now estimated by the Census Bureau to be 6.2% or 355,468 residents in 2012. This sector is growing in nearly all of Wisconsin's 72 counties, and Milwaukee County's Latin population now makes up 13.9% of the county population," wrote Walker. "I understand that for a number of years the Consulate in Chicago has visited Wisconsin though its mobile consulate[...] This mobile service is greatly appreciated, but the fact that the Consulate in Chicago has recognized the growing demand for their services and has developed a mobile consulate demonstrates the need for another consulate in the Midwest."
