Mexico Appoints Consul in Santa Ana

Luis Miguel Ortiz Haro, a veteran Mexican government official and member of that country’s ruling political party, has been named the new Mexican consul in Santa Ana.

Ortiz Haro, 42, who has held a variety of jobs in Mexico’s Federal District, is moving to the United States today and will start his job Tuesday.

The new consul has worked as a planner and development officer in Mexico’s capital, as well as an administrator in programs including judicial matters, government employee benefits, traffic and citizen complaints.

“I believe there is a lot we as a government can do for Mexicans living outside the country, in the United States,” said Ortiz Haro.

“I would like to learn more about their needs.”

Santa Ana attorney Jess Araujo, who has served as a legal advisor to previous consuls in Santa Ana as well as other Mexican nationals, said he hopes to work closely with Ortiz Haro.

“I’ve been through five different counsels,” Araujo said.

“We just start with the next one. We’ll try to make it easy for the new consul by connecting him with the right people to add stability.”

The Mexican government maintains 48 consulates in the United States.

Those in California are the most active, particularly after some U.S. government agencies decided this year to accept Mexican identification cards, which consulates can issue.

Consulates have been besieged since with requests for the cards.

Miguel Angel Isidro, the previous consul, left this month for Guatemala in a routine transfer after three years in Santa Ana.

Isidro helped win acceptance of the Mexican identification card, the matricula consular.

Matriculas are accepted as identification in several U.S. cities and some banks.

During his tenure, Isidro was credited with improving relations between Mexican immigrants and police, who frequently turned immigrants taken into custody over to the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

In some cases, people were deported after minor traffic offenses because they could not show proof of identity.