Consulado Móvil Mexicano comes again to USF
The University of St. Francis in Joliet will be host, for the third time, of the Consulado Movil Mexicano (Mexican Mobile Consulate) on May 31 through June 3. The consulate will be stationed at USF to provide assistance in the most common consular matters, including issuance/renewal of Mexican Passports, Matriculas Consulares (Mexican identification documents), Cartillas de Servicio Militar (military service/draft documents) and Poderes Notariales (notarized powers of attorney).
“The purpose of this event is to help meet the needs of Mexicans living in Will and Grundy Counties and in particular, Joliet’s Mexican community,” said Ingrid Goobar-Szleifer, USF assistant professor of English and foreign languages. “Sometimes it is very hard for working families to venture to downtown Chicago to take care of consular business. By having the consulate come to Joliet, many families will be able to obtain the needed documents, without leaving their community.”
Consul Julio Huerta Garcia estimates that about 300 people will be served each day. Consulate hours of service will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday, May 31 through Sunday June 3. The consulate will be in the university’s Moser Performing Arts Center studio theater.
“USF will help provide an invaluable, very much needed service to many Mexican families by working together with the consulate,” said Goobar-Szleifer. USF bilingual students from the campus Latino association UVA and intermediate-advanced students of Spanish will be available to help guide the public through the process. The Hispanic Latino Coalition of Will and Grundy Counties and area churches will also provide volunteers.
The consulate charges fees for the documents issued: $27 for a matricula consular, $32 for a one-year passport and $84 for a five-year passport. Payment must be made in cash. Neither personal checks nor credit cards are accepted.
For information regarding the requirements to obtain documents, call (312) 855-1380. Information about the requirements for the different documents can also be obtained though the consulate’s web site www.consulmexicano.com, under the section “documentacion consular”.