Anthony Victoria
For KVCR News, I'm Anthony Victoria. This is IE Latino Voices, where we highlight the people, organizations, and stories shaping Latino communities across the Inland Empire. The Mexican consulate in San Bernardino recently celebrated 96 years of serving the region. For nearly a century, the consulate has been a bridge between Mexico and the communities here in the Inland Empire, joining me today is Mexico's Cónsul in San Bernardino, Dr. Salvador Percastre Mendizabal, to talk about that history and why those connections remain so important today. Doctor, muchas gracias.
Dr. Salvador Percastre
Anthony Victoria, thank you so much. I'm really happy to be here on Latino Voices, Voces Latinas. For us, it's a really, really pleasure to be here.
Anthony Victoria
Absolutely, Cónsul. So it's been 96 years that the Mexican consulate has been established in San Bernardino.
Dr. Salvador Percastre
Yes, sir.
Anthony Victoria
What does that longevity say about the relationship between Mexico, the United States, and the communities that connect both countries?
Dr. Salvador Percastre
Yes, we are in the Consulate of Mexico in San Bernardino. We are really happy to celebrate these 96 years working together to the Mexican community in the Inland Empire. It's a really strong community. We want to celebrate to the Mexican community, not only the Mexican Consulate. That's important because 96 years is a lot of time from 1930 that we Mexican consulate diplomatic representation, we are working for all of these people, not only in paperwork but to protect and to bring the services that we offer in the Consulate.
Anthony Victoria
Absolutely. What role do you think the Consulate has played in strengthening not only San Bernardino but the Inland Empire as a whole? Right. You mentioned that you provide services, but can you give us an example of maybe how?
Dr. Salvador Percastre
Absolutely. We are working together to improve our services. We're working together with the local authorities to help the people in the Inland Empire and our community. The Mexicans are a big part of community of the Inland Empire. 47% of the population of the Inland Empire is Mexican or Mexican American. 2 million people.
Anthony Victoria
Yeah, that's a lot of people.
Dr. Salvador Percastre
A lot of people. Yes.
Anthony Victoria
We're living through a particularly challenging time for many immigrant and mixed-status families. How is the Consulate responding to the needs and concerns of Mexican nationals here in the Inland Empire? And what resources or protections do you want people to know that are available?
Dr. Salvador Percastre
It's very important for Mexican men and women to know that the consulate of Mexico and San Bernardino is with them, is by their side, because there are a lot of people now, fourth or fifth generation descendants of Mexicans who, well, are born here, but there are a lot of people listening to us who have parents, grandparents, siblings, uncles, and aunts who still don't have documents in this country and who are Mexican. And to all of them, the Consulate stands with them and supports them. For example, when they have a legal problem, we provide legal counseling, and we also take charge of carrying out visits to the detention center in Adelanto. The Adelanto ICE processing center in Adelanto, where people, men and women, are detained by ICE, and we take charge of providing assistance. And one of the reasons of the presence of the Mexican consulate in the Empire is to protect to the Mexican community. Entonces, esa es parte de nuestro trabajo [so, this is part of our work].
Anthony Victoria
What do you think is the next chapter of this relationship between the Mexican consulate here in San Bernardino and the next generation of Mexican American families in Mexico?
Dr. Salvador Percastre
We need to to improve our presence and our links with all the community of the Inland Empire, not only the Mexican community, all the community with different sectors. For example, universities, college, media, non-profits, churches, and different representatives of the community of the American community of the Inland Empire, because for us it's really important to strengthen the links and to build bridges to understand better the size and the people here in the United States needs to understand our reality, the Mexican reality, and the Mexican context, and to try to develop relationship like friends, like brothers, like human beings.
Anthony Victoria
That was Dr. Salvador Percastre Mendizabal, who serves as the for the Mexican Consulate in San Bernardino. Join us again next week for IE Latino Voices. You can find this story and others on our website at kvcr.org/ielatinovoices. IE Latino Voices is produced by KVCR Public Media and is funded by generous support from the CIELO Fund at IECF. For KVCR News, I'm Anthony Victoria.
