Mexico has 53 consulates on United States territory. It’s the biggest consular network, not just in the U.S., but in the whole world.
Does Mexico really need so many consulates?
The job of a consulate is to represent Country A in the territory of Country B and to serve citizens of Country A who reside in Country B.
When I resided in Mexico I traveled a few times to the nearest American consulate and received help there.
Mexican consulates provide services to help Mexicans in the U.S. They also help Americans who are doing business with Mexico.
However, is it really necessary to have 53 Mexican consulates on U.S. soil?
A few years ago, one the latest consulates to be added was in Oklahoma City. This was despite the fact that there were already consulates in four states bordering Oklahoma: Kansas City, Missouri; Little Rock, Arkansas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Denver, Colorado and eleven (!) in Texas, the nearest to Oklahoma being the Mexican consulate in Dallas.
Think about it. If Mexican immigrants traveled all the way from Mexico to the U.S., it shouldn’t be a problem to travel to another state to do business at a Mexican consulate.
There’s another issue involved here. Mexican consulates have often crossed the line from helping Mexicans in the U.S. to meddling in U.S. immigration and citizenship policy. Such are not legitimate activities of consulates.
The U.S. government now has the Mexican consulates under review and might reduce their number.
From CBS News: “The State Department is initiating a review of all 53 Mexican consulates operating in the United States, a U.S. official told CBS News on Thursday [May 7], in a move that could lead Secretary of State Marco Rubio to consider ordering the closure of some diplomatic offices...A State Department official said the review is part of a broader effort to align U.S. foreign policy with the Trump administration’s priorities.”
I would think that the number of Mexican consulates in the U.S. could be significantly reduced and they would still have enough to carry out legitimate consular activity.