Susan Abeyta, the U.S. consul general in Guadalajara, packed her bags and left town with her husband Victor this week after a three-year stint in the city. Reflecting on her stay in an interview with the Reporter last week, she made an immediate point of praising the dedication of her staff, both U.S. and Mexican, whom she referred to as “the backbone of the organization.” Abeyta went on to talk about the richness of Mexican culture, the rewarding programs that the consulate has initiated, the security situation here, the American expatriate community, the rise of women in Mexico and the huge task the Consulate has in issuing thousands of visas to travelers to the United States.
Obviously you are in a privileged position and have mixed a lot with high-level officials, business executives and other important people usually from the middle classes, but have you also been able to experience Mexico at a working-class level?
I can’t say I’ve seen everything. But some of things we cover include aspects of Mexico that most people don’t see. In our Access Program we give scholarships to children from the lower-middle class, who wouldn’t have the opportunity to learn English in the public schools. In getting to know these kids you see another way of life here. People who can’t afford to shop at Costco for example, but whose parents are doing everything they can to give them a better life. We also have a program called Jovenes en Accion, where the idea is to provide kids with some leadership training, and in developing community projects. We send them to the States to live with a family for a couple of weeks, and for the next year they work on projects in their communities mentored by officers from the consulate.
What have you found in Mexico that the United Sates can learn from?
One of the things I admire about Mexico is just how much they value their own culture. They have a very strong cultural identity. I don’t think we have that same kind of strength of identity in the United States. This is one thing we can learn from Mexico.
What was the consulate’s reaction to the recent narco-blockades in various parts of Jalisco?
If there’s violence on the streets or if there’s any immediate danger to citizens, first of all we have to assess that. We have an excellent team of diplomatic security and law enforcement agents who have good relations with authorities in the district. If there are blockades on the street we will probably tell our staff to ‘shelter in place.’ So if we tell our employees to stay put while we determine what’s going on, then we also have to put out a message to American citizens that these are measures we are taking.
Were any of your staff caught up in the blockades?
They were not involved per se but some found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. May 1 was a big holiday time, so we had people out on the road going to Puerto Vallarta, Tequila and other places. There were some people who saw the blockades but no one was targeted.
Do you believe U.S. citizens are specifically targetted by criminals in Mexico?
From everything we can see generally they are not targets. There are some cases of citizens who might be part of a criminal organization and they might be targeted, but not because they are American citizens. I wouldn’t be able to say (U.S. residents at lakeside) are more likely targets than the well-to-do Mexicans who have beautiful homes there. I think U.S. citizens have been very welcomed in that community. That’s been my experience.
Despite the regular State Department travel advisories on Mexico, would you consider this country safe to travel in?
I would say for the most part it’s very safe. We have certain rules for our staff and one of them is don’t drive at night and don’t drive on secondary roads. There are some areas, basically on the borders of Michoacan, that we are not allowed to go to. We are advised to inform the American public that these are rules for us. Obviously, we don’t have the authority to tell people what to do but we can make recommendations. My feeling is we have everything to win by being well informed and it’s a positive thing when you travel to any country in the world to be as well informed as possible.
Some people comment that the travel advisories often go too far. Such as visiting parts of Michoacan, including Morelia, for example?
U.S. Consulate employees can go to Morelia but they have to fly in. Again I stress that we have to tell the U.S. public what we tell our own employees. It is called ‘no double standard.’ If you look carefully at our website you will see that you can travel to most parts of Mexico but just have to informed about certain areas.
You are interested in women’s issues. Are you seeing much change in women’s roles and rights in Mexico?
I see more women going into politics, and you are seeing more women at the universities. Recently I was in Aguascalientes and it was interesting to see how many girls are studying technical trades. Also it is important that the state government opened a Centro Judicial para la Mujer, which offers all kinds of services for women who have experienced violence. They can go to this center, give their statement, and if they are in danger they can stay overnight. More women who have been victims of violence are willing to come forward because they see a place like this that provides psychological and legal support. It’s a good sign of an institutional effort to help women and very impressive.
We noticed that you have started a campaign to advise people going to the consulate for visas to be wary of coyotes offering their help. Is this a problem that is getting worse?
It’s an ongoing struggle and our staff are just looking at ways of how to get the message out. Posting images of (wild) coyotes is another effort to warn those most vulnerable to deception and fraud before they are approached by these individuals.
How do they work and is what they are doing illegal?
It’s not illegal to offer to help someone but it is illegal to engage in fraud. Sometimes people are tricked into giving money for nothing. They will leave our customer service section after giving their prints and making their appointment, and these (coyotes) will take away their paper, rip it up and make them get it again. That’s fraud and theft. It’s exploitation and wrong on a human level.
Have applications for travel visas increased in your time here?
Actually beyond our capacity and we have to send applications to other jurisdictions for adjudication. We are approaching 300,000 applications a year. When I arrived it was about 240,000-250,000.
What is your refusal rate for travel visas?
It varies at different times of the year and bobs around 15-20 percent. The vast majority get their visas.
Do you check to ensure that people you give visas to come back to Mexico?
We do validation studies periodically, a sample to check and see if they come back. We don’t have huge numbers of non-returns here, but obviously it is an issue for the United States. Most people travel for totally legitimate reasons and comply with the terms of the visa.
Have the recent comments about Mexico by Republican Party candidate Donald Trump soured the bilateral relationship?
Obviously I don’t get involved in the political discussion but, as our ambassador has emphasized, basically we have a very positive image of Mexico. It’s a very complicated relationship but it’s also a vital and strong one. Anyone who knows Mexico is going to have a nuanced view of what’s going on here and I’m very optimistic about our relationship and Mexico’s future.
Can you give examples of progress in the bilateral relationship of late?
We’ve realized that we need more students to go back and forth. We looked and saw that there were fewer Mexican students studying in the United States than many other countries and that is not logical. It’s the same with American students coming here. We have woken up to the fact this is something we really need to promote. So in the last three or four years we have put more emphasis on the president’s 100,000 Strong for the Americas project and its Mexican counterpart. We also have a program for sending international visitors to the United States, usually up-and-coming leaders in academia, government or business. Many times when they travel there they only see a small bit of the reality, so when we send them on these special trips they meet with people in their own fields on the ground and come back with a much broader understanding of the United States.
How well do you think the expat U.S. community in this region represents the United States in Mexico?
My whole staff is very involved with that community, especially in the Chapala area. These people do a lot of good for the community and are very inspiring. They have a remarkable civic orientation and act purely from their own sense of generosity and wanting to give back.
The Guadalajara posting is often considered the culmination of a diplomat’s career, but you have decided to continue in the foreign service.
I will go back to the Department of State for two years and then will decide where I will go from there. I have been fortunate to be selected to the Board of Examiners, the U.S. foreign service officers who select the incoming diplomats. I will assess the people who have competed through an exam process to join the U.S. foreign service. It’s changed somewhat over the past 27 years but it’s coming full circle for me.
Can you tell us something about your successor, Tayna Anderson, who takes over on September 17?
She is a dynamic officer with a very strong background in public diplomacy. She obviously has a lot experience in leadership, being the consul general in Barcelona. She has done most of her career in Arabic speaking countries but studied in Ecuador, so she has some Latin American background. This is her first tour in Mexico.
Can you talk about some of the highlights of you spell here?
Meeting with the young people from Jovenes en Accion and hearing about the projects they are working on. Going to the Hospital Civil and seeing the great work they are doing there. Interacting with the business community here has been rewarding. There are so many young entrepreneurs in Guadalajara who are very inspiring. Getting together with friends in their homes, going out to beautiful restaurants. It’s been a very full experience.
And in your time off?
Going to see the charreria a couple of times. It was just amazing to be with the crowds enjoying this emblematic sport of Jalisco. And how beautiful Guachimontones (the archaeological site west of Guadalajara) is during the rainy season. The city’s colonial center is also wonderful but Guadalajara is a place where you can go from one plaza to another, it doesn’t seem to end.
It sounds like you don’t want to leave?
It’s going to be tough but Washington is a great city and I have family on the east coast. It will be hard to leave Guadalajara but it’s going to be great.