Ciudad Juarez.– Tonight the United States Consulate General in Ciudad Juárez officially commemorated the 248th anniversary of the United States Independence.
The official ceremony, headed by Ambassador Ken Salazar and Consul General Rafael Foley, was attended by Mayors Cruz Pérez Cuéllar of Juárez and Marco Bonilla of Chihuahua, among other guests.
In his speech, Foley highlighted Ken Salazar’s career.
“We really have a luxury ambassador because the relationship with Mexico deserves it,” he said.
He thanked everyone for attending the ceremony and called for reflection on the values that have shaped the nation: life, liberty and the right to happiness.
“There is one core value that has always accompanied these: the power of community. The history of the US is not just a history of individual achievement. After all, the US Constitution begins with ‘we the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union’ and we have a history of strength that comes from collaboration,” he said.
“And while we celebrate our independence today, we also celebrate the partnerships that allow us to thrive. Because a united community is a community that thrives. And I think here in this area, we see that in a very tangible way. Here, where two countries, three states, converge, we see how the spirit of community transcends borders. Here we share a common future, one that depends on our ability to collaborate and support each other,” he added.
He said that Mexico and the United States are an active community of 45 million people with family, cultural, educational and commercial ties that enrich the two nations far beyond the three states.
“Our binational work covers a variety of areas, from strengthening the capacity of law enforcement, exchanging information to combat the flow of weapons to the south and drugs to the north, thereby improving border security, to promoting the development of key infrastructure such as bridges and roads. Last year, 961,000 trucks crossed the international bridges in the El Paso sector, and this year, 811,000 have already crossed,” he said.
He mentioned that last year 143 million passenger vehicles crossed the border and this year 115 million have already crossed. In addition, work is being done on joint projects to improve air quality and protect the water resources of both nations.
“We also encourage exchanges that strengthen cooperation in strategic areas such as the development of the semiconductor industry. And we will have a major event in October here in Ciudad Juarez on this topic, drawing up roadmaps for nearshoring and promoting workforce development through binational educational and training programs.
The consul spoke about the work carried out by the consulate staff, many of whom are Mexican, and who have established themselves as a great team.
This is a team that last year processed 65,000 visas for Mexican residents who have emigrated to the US and who have continued with their lives thanks to the work done at this consulate. It is the largest volume of immigrant visas for residents in the world. We are also proud of the work done by the section that assists US citizens, the consular section, the team working with the Social Security Administration, the team for non-immigrant visas for short trips and of course, we have other agencies here with US representation such as the DEA, the ETF, the Agency for the Control of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, the FBI, the Department of Security. Even AFIS personnel who do very important work ensuring that agricultural products can be imported without problems to the US.
Ambassador Ken Salazar, dressed in his traditional Texas hat, said this is a celebration of U.S. and Mexican democracy forever.
“That is what we are doing tonight. So, here in Juarez, in the great state of Chihuahua, we celebrate democracy and we do not do it alone, we do it with our partners. And here in this consulate, just as we have done throughout Mexico, we are number one in the whole world. We have embassies, 200 countries throughout this land, throughout the world, but here in Juarez we are number one in the work that we do,” he acknowledged.
He mentioned that he was with Governor Maru Campos yesterday and her entire team and highlighted the rapprochement with the mayors of Juárez and Chihuahua.
“I just want to thank you for being the driving force behind the efforts we are making between the US and Mexico. Look, there are changes, change is part of the celebration of a strong democracy. Here in Mexico, I think there are 11 days left until the first woman in North America becomes president of Mexico. I think it is time for women to take a leadership position,” she said.
“I am told that there are concerns, the reality is that there will always be challenges, but I am very optimistic that we are on a very positive and good path, that we are now, in this celebration of our democracy, number one as a trading partner in the whole world at this moment, but at this moment we are also celebrating that it is the largest trading association in the entire history of the world,” he said.
Salazar said that work will continue to strengthen the Chihuahua, Texas and New Mexico regions and that security will be ensured.
“We know that security is key to everything that needs to be done for the prosperity of all, we know that and we are working on it. We also know that migration has affected the Juarez border, the US and Mexico, and for the first time in the history of North America, we know that we are going to address the causes, we are aligned on that. We know that we have to expand legal avenues and we also know that the law must be complied with,” he said.
“So on this day we celebrate the independence of our great nation, the United States and North America, but we celebrate democracy and the relationship with Mexico, so long live Mexico and on this 4th of July, September, long live the United States, beloved El Paso and beloved Saint Teresa and Saint Jerome,” he exclaimed.
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