13 killed in Ciudad Juarez

[juliecheese83 0]

As nikolacolada helped me discover, things seem to be getting worse and worse in Ciudad Juarez. (http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/02/18/mexico.shootings/index.html?hpt=Sbin)

Questions:

1) How long do you usually have to stay there for the visa appointment?

2) Who do we complain to about this? USCIS? Can't they find a different embassy?

(Sorry, I'm new and having a hard time navigating this website. If someone wrote about this recently, please help me find that thread)

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Post moved from the K-1 forum to the US Embassy and Consulate Discussion forum as a more appropriate location for this concern.

[JimVaPhuong 4,863]

As nikolacolada helped me discover, things seem to be getting worse and worse in Ciudad Juarez. (http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/02/18/mexico.shootings/index.html?hpt=Sbin)

Questions:

1) How long do you usually have to stay there for the visa appointment?

2) Who do we complain to about this? USCIS? Can't they find a different embassy?

(Sorry, I'm new and having a hard time navigating this website. If someone wrote about this recently, please help me find that thread)

Visa interviews are handled by Department of State. USCIS is an agency in the Department of Homeland Security. USCIS has nothing to do with where interviews are conducted.

As in most foreign countries, there is only one US Embassy in Mexico, and it's in Mexico City. There are many US consulates in Mexico, however.

For whatever reason, the Department of State has only authorized the US consulate in Juarez to handle the majority of immigrant visa applications. Changing to a different consulate would be a major undertaking involving setting up the facilities and moving the personnel. The latter is a pretty big deal. Foreign service officers are assigned to a consulate for a specific tour of duty, and moving them to another location would be time consuming and expensive. When a temporary emergent situation arises it's usually the policy of Department of State to close the consulate until the situation becomes safe enough to reopen. They wouldn't close the consulate forever and move the services to a different consulate unless they thought the situation was permanent.

The bottom line is that if Department of State thinks it's safe enough for foreign service officers to live and work there then it's safe enough for citizens of that country to go to the consulate for an interview. Feel free to write a letter to Department of State or your congressional representatives asking that visa services be moved to another consulate. I personally doubt it will get much traction. The situation in Mexico is deteriorating throughout the entire country. It's distinctly possible that they could spend a year or so moving visa services to another consulate, only to have the security situation at the new consulate become just as bad as Juarez.

[SuperDuper! 230]

God Bless all the lovely ladies who must go thru Ciudad Juarez Embassy, to get to the US and their loved one.

[Boiler 46,141]

I think you will find it is mostly men, for obvious reasons.

They just built a new consul at great expense.

Probably better suggesting that drugs be made legal.

[Dan and Judy 614]

As nikolacolada helped me discover, things seem to be getting worse and worse in Ciudad Juarez. (http://www.cnn.com/2...x.html?hpt=Sbin)

Questions:

1) How long do you usually have to stay there for the visa appointment?

2) Who do we complain to about this? USCIS? Can't they find a different embassy?

(Sorry, I'm new and having a hard time navigating this website. If someone wrote about this recently, please help me find that thread)

Sorry but I don't think this qualifies as getting worse. Its been like this for a few years.

This is a story from about a year ago

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/15/world/americas/15juarez.html

I believe in the end they discovered that the consulate employee's husband worked at a prison in the states and one of the prisoners ordered the hit.

The population is about 1 1/2 million and in general they do tend to target people that are somehow mixed up with drugs so technically your chance

of having a problem with it it not too great. I still wouldn't spend anymore time there than is necessary

Most of the border towns have similar problems. In general the Mexican goverment has lost the war against the drug lords. they are not in a position to solve the

problem. legalizing drugs in the US would be a cure but that aint happening anytime soon.

I would guess you could just arrive in the city the night before the interview, stay in your hotel until just before the interview and then leave.

[Dan and Judy 614]

here is a recent thread

http://www.visajourney.com/forums/topic/293577-white-american/

[nikolacolada 21]

The bottom line is that if Department of State thinks it's safe enough for foreign service officers to live and work there then it's safe enough for citizens of that country to go to the consulate for an interview. Feel free to write a letter to Department of State or your congressional representatives asking that visa services be moved to another consulate. I personally doubt it will get much traction. The situation in Mexico is deteriorating throughout the entire country. It's distinctly possible that they could spend a year or so moving visa services to another consulate, only to have the security situation at the new consulate become just as bad as Juarez.

Your post is very informative, but I do have to disagree with this portion of it.

Living here in Mexico I can personally attest to the fact that the situation is NOT deteriorating throughout the entire country and there are MANY safe areas in Mexico. I think its ridiculous that they don't move the process to a safer city since there are many of them in the country. But I have to agree with what someone else wrote, the consulate in Juarez is newer, they probably don't want to shut it down since they just spent money building it.

I know there is nothing that can be done about it so we're just going to bite the bullet. It doesn't mean it's right though.

[TBoneTX 46,166]

there are MANY safe areas in Mexico.

This is very true, INCLUDING along the U.S. border.

[juliecheese83 0]

Sorry but I don't think this qualifies as getting worse. Its been like this for a few years.

This is a story from about a year ago

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/15/world/americas/15juarez.html

I believe in the end they discovered that the consulate employee's husband worked at a prison in the states and one of the prisoners ordered the hit.

The population is about 1 1/2 million and in general they do tend to target people that are somehow mixed up with drugs so technically your chance

of having a problem with it it not too great. I still wouldn't spend anymore time there than is necessary

Most of the border towns have similar problems. In general the Mexican goverment has lost the war against the drug lords. they are not in a position to solve the

problem. legalizing drugs in the US would be a cure but that aint happening anytime soon.

I would guess you could just arrive in the city the night before the interview, stay in your hotel until just before the interview and then leave.

Well I've been reading about increasing murder rates and such in Juarez (http://www.presstv.ir/detail/155640.html) I lived in Mexico for a year and a half and I'm not oblivious to the problems the country has been having. I am just concerned that it can be argued that Ciudad Juarez is the most dangerous city in the world (http://www.thestar.com/news/world/article/812757) and yet we have to go there.

[juliecheese83 0]

Your post is very informative, but I do have to disagree with this portion of it.

Living here in Mexico I can personally attest to the fact that the situation is NOT deteriorating throughout the entire country and there are MANY safe areas in Mexico. I think its ridiculous that they don't move the process to a safer city since there are many of them in the country. But I have to agree with what someone else wrote, the consulate in Juarez is newer, they probably don't want to shut it down since they just spent money building it.

I know there is nothing that can be done about it so we're just going to bite the bullet. It doesn't mean it's right though.

Exactly! I'm in the process of writing a letter to my congressman. If nothing else, at least I'll know I've said something.