PROGRAMS
ABOUT
GET INVOLVED
SUPPORT OUR MISSION
On October 24–25, 2025, the Mexican and Guatemalan Consulates set up together in Carbondale, Illinois, and processed passports and national IDs for roughly 300 people each. It was the first time the Guatemalan Consulate provided services in the southern region of the state. Puentes de Esperanza, a program of Hoyleton Youth and Family Services, organized the rural outreach that made the two-day event possible.
Event at a glance
For Guatemalan families in this region, the nearest consulate is in Chicago, a 6-hour drive. Cost, work schedules, limited transportation, and fear of traveling long distances put consular documents out of reach for many. Bringing both consulates to Carbondale removed those barriers in a single weekend.
Hoyleton Youth and Family Services President & CEO Chris L. Cox connected the event to the organization's wider mission:
"Bringing both the Mexican and Guatemalan consulates to southern Illinois, together for the first time, reflects our unwavering commitment to meeting people where they are and ensuring they feel seen, supported, and safe. This effort was about much more than paperwork; it was about dignity, trust, and standing alongside our community when fear and uncertainty too often take hold."
One week before the visit, Puentes de Esperanza staff contacted Guatemalan residents in the Illinois communities of Chester, Steelville, Percy, Perryville, and nearby rural areas, places where limited transportation already restricts access to official services.
Rumors of possible ICE activity in the region that week raised community fear, so staff conducted outreach privately by text message rather than on public platforms. This trauma-aware approach kept families safe while still getting them the information they needed. In a single day, 65 people registered for consular appointments directly with Puentes staff; others received help scheduling their own appointments through the consulate's website or phone system.
Puentes de Esperanza assigned four staff members to the Guatemalan Consulate to coordinate appointments, provide interpretation, and assist with documentation. The support shortened wait times, reduced confusion, and maintained clear communication between consular officials and the families they served.
The passports and national IDs processed that weekend are what families need to work, enroll in school, see a doctor, and travel. The event came together through months of coordination among Puentes, the two consulates, and the rural residents who trusted the staff enough to show up, trust built over years of culturally rooted outreach in southern Illinois.
