In Kansas City, Hispanic and Latino communities are an essential part of the fabric of our metro. About 12% of residents identify as Hispanic or Latino in Kansas City, Missouri, while in Kansas City, Kansas, that number is closer to 35%.
Soileh Padilla Mayer is the Consul of Mexico in Kansas City, and leads the city’s branch of the Mexican Consulate. She serves to represent Mexico’s government, assisting in protecting Mexican and Mexican American citizens, and promotes relations between the country and the U.S.
That means she’s not only a diplomat, but also someone who connects people to the services they need.
Padilla Mayer says the consulate works to make sure people have legal representation, aren’t being mistreated in detainment and are aware of resources available to them. She says that is needed now more than ever.
“Because, for example, this population is not (always) from Mexican origin, so they might be Latinos, they might be brothers and sisters from Latin America,” she told KCUR’s Up To Date. “But if the consulate cannot go continuously, consistently to these detention centers, then they are, you know, subjects of mistreatment.”
- Soileh Padilla Meyer, Consult of Mexico for Kansas City,
