Mexican Consul visits Clovis

Staff Writer

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As a prelude to his visit with 200 Clovis families on Saturday at the Lincoln Jackson Family Center, Consul of Mexico Efren N. Leyva huddled with a host of government and community leaders at the Clovis-Curry County Chamber of Commerce office on Friday.

Staff photo: Douglas Clark

Consul of Mexico Efren N. Leyva emphasizes a point during a round table discussion with civic and community leaders at the Clovis-Curry County Chamber of Commerce headquarters on Friday.

“My desire was to come and introduce myself, as it is my duty as Consul of Mexico,” Leyva said via an interpreter. “My last opportunity to do so did not materialize because my agenda was so tight, but thankfully I am here now. I’m at your service for whatever you need.”

Leyva is based in Albuquerque, and his role stems from the ministry of foreign affairs in Mexico. He was appointed by the President of Mexico in July 2015.

Clovis serves as the first stop of a multi-city consulate tour that will run monthly through October.

While here, Leyva said he would be meeting with residents of Mexican descent at the Lincoln Jackson Family Center to address potential issues relating to birth certificates, voter identification cards for the upcoming Mexico elections, passports, dual citizenship and obtaining consular identification cards.

“A lot of people told me past consulates would send delegates and not make visits to the respective cities,” he said. “But if I’m the consul, I need to go myself. I need to help the Mexicans and get a firsthand feel for where the needs are. That’s very important to me.”

Leyva hails from the political arena, having served in the Mexican congress as a senator. He cited the matter of helping Mexicans to keep their driver’s licenses as a key recent accomplishment of his tenure.

“The government did want Mexicans to keep their driver’s licenses, so we talked with the state legislators to help defend the interests of the Mexicans,” he said. “Fortunately, I was able to help achieve this goal.”

During the confab in which a wide variety of topics were broached, Leyva referenced the Consulate’s office has provided free vision, blood pressure and cancer screenings throughout the state and recently awarded a $20,000 grant to Clovis Community College.

Clovis-Curry County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Ernie Kos extended kudos to Leyva for his due diligence in meeting his constituents.

“We’re pleased to host the consulate and enjoyed his varied insights,” she said. “This was a tremendous opportunity to exchange information and ideas.”