Cancun, Q.R. — A new consular headquarters has been opened in the city of Cancun where immigrants of Colombian nationality can go for assistance.
The new Colombian Consular office was inaugurated in Cancun, adding another facility to those already existing in the the region.
Margarita Manjarrez, Director of Migratorios Consulares y Servicio said that this new headquarters is added to the consular offices in Yucatan, Campeche, Chiapas and Tabasco, as well as the honorary consulates in Monterrey, Mexico City and Guadalajara.
“In these five states we have a very high rate of transient populations that need analysis. Cancun was identified as a gap that needed to be filled and fortunately was achieved with of the ministry of foreign relations who opened the consulate in Cancun,” she explained.
Manjarrez said that the Colombian population figures throughout these five states are quite modest, totaling around 6,000 Colombians who reside legally or regularly, although they have evidence that there are many more, approaching the 25,000 mark.
However, the Ambassador of Colombia in Mexico, Patricia Cárdenas Santa María, says that Colombians are not illegally entering Cancun because since 2012, Colombians do not need a visa to enter Mexico.
“Colombians cannot enter undocumented because we do not need a visa to enter Mexico since in 2012, the visa was abolished. We are working with the authorities and with the governments of Mexico to try and see how we can reduce the presence of that community that stay in Mexico illegally,” she said.