Julián Escutia Rodríguez served the Mexican community in Nevada for three years. On Feb. 2, he will return to Mexico City to work as the Mexico director for an international non-profit marine conservation organization.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has granted me permission to go back to Mexico City to head a global foundation called Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. This foundation works hand in hand with governments in 15 countries, including Mexico, to protect and save endangered marine species,” he said.
The mission of the Consulate of Mexico in Las Vegas is to protect the interests of Mexican citizens living in Nevada, by providing passports, consular IDs, legal assistance, certificates and many other services.
Escutia Rodríguez took office in 2020, at the height of the pandemic. During that first year, his priority was public health.
“The vaccine was not ready yet. And I requested that whenever the vaccine was ready, that there will be a special emphasis in the Latino community because we were the most affected by the pandemic. So I can proudly say that we were the first Consulate of Mexico in the United States to host a vaccine clinic in our premises in our building,” Escutia Rodríguez said.
Escutia Rodriguez also promoted Mexican arts and culture, established relationships with local and state governments and reopened community resource centers. One example is the mural painted by Mexican muralist Adry del Rocio at the East Las Vegas Community Center.
He also reactivated and expanded consular services in northern Nevada and rural areas. Every month, he visited Reno, Carson City and Elko to offer assistance and share resources.
“We increased the number of mobile consulates, we increased the length of those mobile consulates to the whole weekend,” Escutia Rodríguez said. “We also organized and hosted community events, informational events, at those mobile consulates, to take advantage of the people that were coming to see us for documentation purposes.”
He also helped fight misinformation and scams. Appointments with the Consulate are free, he said.
Escutia Rodríguez's last day at the Consulate was Jan. 31. Vice Consul Jeremías Guzmán Barrera will serve as consul until a new person is appointed.
