MADISON (WITI) -- Governor Scott Walker is requesting the Mexican Consulate open an office in Wisconsin as a result of the growing Hispanic population in the state.
“The Hispanic community in Wisconsin has grown rapidly in recent years,” Governor Walker said. “The Mexican Consulate office serving Wisconsin is located in Chicago, and it also serves Illinois and Indiana. While a mobile consulate is also available, there is a backlog, and Mexican nationals seeking documents in Wisconsin must wait two months or more.”
Governon Walker sent letters to President Enrique Peña Nieto and Ambassador Eduardo Medina-Mora asking them to consider opening a Mexican Consulate office in Wisconsin. The letters were hand-delivered to Mexican Consul General Carlos Jiménez Macias on Friday, October 11.
According to the Census Bureau, Hispanic residents make up 6.2 percent, or approximately 355,468 residents, of Wisconsin’s population in 2012. Milwaukee County’s Latino population now makes up 13.9 percent of the county’s population.
Mexico is Wisconsin’s second largest export market. Hispanic-owned businesses in Wisconsin are growing at a rate of 7.6 percent, accounting for $2.4 billion in sales and employing 11,000 people. A consulate office in Wisconsin would help continue the pattern of economic growth.