There are some 1,255 consular offices in the United States, from Boston to Miami, Boston to Los Angeles. There are even offices in America’s core: the Midwest. Their role is to look out for the safety of their citizens in their host country. In the early days of Trump deportations, consulates were involved: After the arrest of Rümeysa Öztürk, then a Tufts graduate student, the Turkish consulate was active in monitoring her status.
Its enquiries at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center were met with no information – a violation of the international Vienna Convention on Consular Relations of 1965, which governs the The activities of consuls.
Why is there so little consular activity reported with respect to the arrests of thousands of persons in irregular migratory situations, as the Colombian consulate delicately calls undocumented immigrants, being detained by ICE?
Perhaps detainees are not asking for aid. The little red card that immigrant aid agencies hand out make no mention of seeking consular assistance. It recommends only remaining silent, refusing entry without a judicial warrant and accessing a lawyer.
It may be that consular officials are keeping a low profile so they do not antagonize the U.S. government.
It may be that the locations of consulates do not map the needs of the moment. In Minnesota with its big Somali population, Minneapolis has no Somali consulate; Somali diplomats are stationed only at the Embassy in Washington, D.C., and at the United Nations delegation in New York. Minneapolis does have consulates for Canada, Ecuador, El Salvador, Germany, the Netherlands and Norway.
Chicago has large Mexican and Chinese populations, but there is no Mexican consulate. On the other hand there is a consulate for the Peoples Republic of China along with 35 others:
Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Korea, Kirghiz, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey and the U.K.
Similarly, 40 percent of immigrants in Colorado were from Mexico, with India coming in a distant second (5 percent). Denver has a Mexican consulate but no Indian consulate. It also has 35 others:
Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Malta, Mongolia, Morocco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand and Zambia.
In Florida, 23 percent of the immigrants were from Cuba and some 8 percent from Haiti, with 6 percent each from Colombia, Mexico and Jamaica. Only Jamaica had a consulate in Miami. Of course, with the strained relations between Cuba and the United States, one could not expect a Cuban consulate – although there are embassies in Washington, D.C. and Havana, the senior diplomats are at the chargés d’affairs level. The other 15 consulates in Miami include: Antigua, Argentina, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, Romania, Trinidad & Tobago, the U.K. and Uruguay.
In Los Angeles, the most frequent source of immigrants were Mexico, El Salvador and the Philippines. All three have consulates in Los Angeles, and many other nations:
Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Fiji, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala, Guinea, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Korea (Republic), Kuwait, Latvia, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Monaco, Montenegro, Morocco, Myanmar, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Togo, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, U.K. and Zambia.
Of course, another role of the consulate is to facilitate mutual trade relations between its country and the United States. This probably explains why consulates are in particular locations. In addition, officials are chosen for their marketing skills, not their ability to help citizens with legal immigration problems.
Finally, the sheer scope of the United States’ deportations and the speed with which they are executed makes it virtually impossible for consular officials to give help to individual citizens of their countries.
Some consulates have responded to the current escalation of deportations. Their websites include information about how to access a lawyer and describe in detail how to go about applying for the voluntary departure process. Additionally, some send consular officials on tours around their catchment area to tell citizens of their rights.
The immigrant aid groups around the country should add consular access to their immigrant information cards. They should coordinate fully with local consulates.
What is the responsibility of consulates when their legal immigrant citizens are being abused by ICE? What is our own responsibility when this happens on our watch?
Martin G. Evans is a freelance writer. I write about managerial and political issues, with contributions to The Boston Globe, Boston Business Journal and elsewhere, and was previously a professor at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, and have taught at the London Business School, Harvard School of Public Health and elsewhere.
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