El Salvador plans consulate in LV

By Timothy Pratt (contact)

Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2003 | 9:40 a.m.

El Salvador will open Nevada's second consulate Jan. 1 in Las Vegas, officials from that country said Monday.

Mexico opened the state's first consulate downtown nearly two years ago.

The new consulate will benefit up to 100,000 Salvadorans in Nevada, Utah and Arizona who now depend on offices in California. But it also was hailed as a sign of the Hispanic community's growth in the Las Vegas Valley, and as a symbol of the increasing number of Hispanics from countries other than Mexico who choose the valley as home.

"It's certainly a reflection of the explosion of the Latino community, and is only the start of things to come," said Tony Sanchez, president of the Latin Chamber of Commerce.

The consulate's arrival will also bring controversy, as it coincides with El Salvador's plans to begin issuing consular IDs to its citizens living in the U.S. The card will be similar to a Mexican ID that has drawn criticism from anti-immigrant groups and questions on its security from the Department of Treasury, as it is increasingly accepted by banks, local police departments and local governments nationwide.

Oscar Benavides Gutierrez, the consul chosen to staff the new Salvadoran agency at 765 Nellis Avenue, said he is ready for the controversy.

"In any case, I'm here to defend my compatriots," he said.

The consul also said he has already made contact with some of the banks that have been accepting the Mexican ID for opening new accounts for several years -- including Wells Fargo and Bank of America. Contacts with Metro Police and local government will follow, he said.

Sanchez -- who authored the chamber's comments supporting the use of the Mexican ID when the Treasury Department sought input on its acceptance by financial institutions earlier this year -- said the local economy only stands to benefit by Salvadorans using a similar ID.

"It means more people will be allowed access to the stream of commerce, which is good for the homebuilding industry and purchasing goods locally," Sanchez said.

Tom Wright, a University of Nevada, Las Vegas history professor, has written a soon-to-be-released book, "Ethnic Las Vegas," that includes a chapter on the local Salvadoran community -- which numbers about 40,000. He said the consulate's arrival will also help diversify the valley's Hispanic community.

"It may well give the impetus that has been lacking until now for (Salvadorans) to claim their own turf," Wright said.

Wright said the consulate -- in addition to offering services like passports, consular IDs, and birth certificates -- could also stimulate Salvadoran businesses like restaurants. Benavides said the consulate will also have a space for exhibitions and other cultural events.

"Until now, they've been ... under the shadow of Mexicans ... and this could also make the broader community aware of how diverse the Latin American community is," he said.

Mexicans make up about 70 percent of Nevada's Hispanic community of more than 360,000, according to Census Bureau estimates.

"They might eat pupusas, and see how good they are," Wright said.

What's a pupusa? Curious gourmands can call the consulate when they open in January and find out.