Cónsul de México dedicated to economic success of his country's immigrants to the United States

Intermountain Catholic

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Mexican Consul Salvador Jiménez Muñoz oversees the needs of immigrant Mexicans in three states from his Salt Lake City Office. His wife, Claudia, teaches in Midvale, his son, Ricardo, 26, is studying medicine at Boston University, and his daughter, Ana Christina, 23, is studying speech therapy at the University of Maryland. IC photo by Barbara S. Lee

SALT LAKE CITY — The large hallway outside the office of Mexican Consul Salvador Jiménez Muñoz boasts a bank of computers, hooked up not long ago to better facilitate providing official identification cards for Mexican immigrants arriving in Utah and the Western Region. Jiménez oversees the project, checking regularly with computer technicians and making periodic visits to the even larger room off the same hallway, crowded with newly arrived immigrants from Mexico hoping to get a taste of the American Dream.

As one of three diplomats who run consulates in Utah (the Consulate of New Zealand is located in Bountiful, the Consulate of Uruguay is in Sandy), Jiménez’ fully functioning office is modest in design and overflowing with work.

"This office covers a wide area," Jiménez said in an Oct. 25 interview with the Intermountain Catholic. "We are responsible for meeting the needs of our people not only in Utah, but in Montana, Idaho, and Western Wyoming. The computers and staff members who travel around the region in vans ("consulados mobiles") will assist us in outreach to people in the other states."

Jiménez, if not born to the diplomatic service, was trained for it from an early age. He grew up in Zacatecas, Mexico, but was born in Guadalajara. His mother, wanting to make sure her son would be able to boast that he was born in a large, urban city, traveled from Zacatecas to Guadalajara just days before he was born.

"I grew up in Zacatecas," Jiménez said. "Our family has been there for many generations. I formed no relationships in Guadalajara."

While he studied law at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Jiménez made a point to visit almost every one of the United States. He earned a law degree in 1973 and began immediately to prepare for the diplomatic service, where his study of law, civil codes, and powers of attorney would be most useful.

Born into a Catholic family, he said he remembers going to church with his grandmother every day, and going to confession and Communion in the churches that are located in the center of every small town and village in Mexico.

"We are descendents of pre-Columbian Indians and Spanish explorers," Jiménez said. "Our family has two important traditions and influences. We have good reasons to walk with our heads up."

That pride of heritage plays a big part in his philosophy and the goals of his consulate.

"I encourage Mexican people here to value themselves, whatever their immigration status, whatever issues they face. I encourage them to be friendly and helpful wherever they live and to value themselves and the people they work for."

The United States is "an economic magnet" for Mexican people, Jiménez said. "The people who are coming here are young and strong and they want to work. They need good jobs. But the time will soon come, I think, when Mexico will be able to provide work for everyone who lives there. Until then, I am here to support educational and economic opportunities for the Mexican immigrants coming here."

Key to connecting immigrant Mexicans into existing opportunities, he said, is good communication, and making connections.

Jiménez and his wife, Claudia, who teaches sixth grade in Midvale, hadn’t been in Utah long after he’d served in a consulate in Los Angeles, Calif., before they made contact with Gerry and Fred Esplin. Fred, the vice president for institutional advancement at the University of Utah, and Gerry, a former teacher in Park City, were involved with efforts to pass House Bill 144, which allows undocumented students who meet the residency requirements to attend the Utah schools of higher education paying in-state tuition. It was a hard-won fight; one that saw anti-immigration forces send lawyers to Utah to challenge the constitutionally of the bill.

"We had become quite active in the Hispanic community," Gerry Esplin said in a Nov. 10 interview with the Intermountain Catholic. They met Salvador and Claudia Jiménez at a University of Utah event, and formed a close friendship immediately. Both couples have been active in Utahns for American Dreams, which also worked toward the passing of HB 144.

"Salvador and Claudia have been in the United States for a long time. They are very pro-Mexico, and they go about things in a very positive way," said Gerry. "They are very aware of what is going on and they are good collaborators.

The Jiménezes and the Esplins frequently share meals, and along with other activists, they keep the interest in HB 144 high, hoping some day to see it become federal law.

Jiménez avoids discussing overtly political issues, like the Bush administration’s plan to build a 700-mile fence on the border between the United States and Mexico. "I am concerned about making connections," he said, "keeping in touch with the human dimension and connecting people who have good skills with employers and companies who need them. I want to make certain that everyone has the proper documents and identification and that so many of our families who have been separated can be reunited again. I want to see that our people can become integrated into the American culture while maintaining and honoring their own proud culture."