As Ecuadorians flow into New Haven from Danbury and beyond, a local group has launched a campaign to make the Elm City host to a new Ecuadorian consulate office.
Right now, the nearest Ecuadorian consulate office is in New York City. Connecticut’s growing Ecuadorian population must trek down to Manhattan for passport or visa services.
“Sometimes, people have to wake up at dawn to line up in the street to be attended to,” said Dixon Jimenez, secretary of the New-Haven based Ecuadorian Community Virgen del Cisne group that’s heading the campaign. “Sometimes, people come home without being helped.”
“All these difficulties would be eradicated if there were a local office of the consulate,” added Carmen Zambrano, who heads the group. (Front row in above picture, left to right: Jimenez, Rita Qezada, Zambrano; Back row: Elio Cruz, Gerardo Ar√©valo)
In a recent visit to the U.S., Ecuador’s president, Rafael Correa, appeared to agree. He said he’d like to open an extra office in Connecticut to service the state’s growing needs.
The question is, where?
With the blessing of Mayor John DeStefano, Jr., Ecuadorian Community “Virgen del Cisne” (pictured), based out of the St. Rose of Lima Church in Fair Haven, is rallying to make New Haven the location of that new branch.
Population Boom
Estimates show that the population of Ecuadorians coming to the U.S. has grown dramatically in the last 15 years. Connecticut is no exception in showing that trend: In 1990, census data estimated nearly 3,000 lived in the state. Over a decade, the number tripled to over 10,000.
Accurate counts are hard to come by, largely because the undocumented population moves around and tends to shy away from census head-counters. But the statewide population appears to have more than doubled in the past five years. In 2003, an estimated 21,000 lived in the Nutmeg State. Today, one estimate pegs the population at 55,000.
Of the 150 daily visitors waiting in line at the consulate’s NYC office, almost half come from Connecticut, according to Jimenez.
Consulate officials have said they’d like to select a place in Connecticut to open an office by the end of the year, Jimenez said. To inform their decision, the Ecuadorian consuls general of New York and Boston paid a visit to both Danbury and New Haven.
Jorge Lopez Amaya, the consul general of New York, said Tuesday he has sent along a request seeking permission to open a consulate in Connecticut, “however we have not decided the exact city yet.”
A central location will be chosen by looking at public transportation options and where the biggest Ecuadorian community is located, Lopez said.
The cities in consideration are New Haven, Danbury, Bridgeport and Hartford, he said.
Sanctuary City
Ecuadorians in both Danbury and New Haven have been collecting signatures to lobby for their towns. The Virgen del Cisne group held a rally in January, drawing 300 Ecuadorians to the New Haven church in favor of the idea.
Population-wise, Danbury appears to edge out New Haven, at least for now. About 8,000 to 10,000 Ecuadorians live in the New Haven area, including surrounding towns. Danbury has roughly 10,000 to 12,000. But that figure appears to be dwindling in the wake of a recent crackdown on undocumented immigrants by Mayor Mark Boughton.
Jimenez’s group estimates 200 Ecuadorian families have left Danbury since the mayor started talking about deputizing city cops to act as immigration agents. That measure passed in February.
“[The consulate] has to be in a place where everyone’s invited,” Jimenez said, “not somewhere where they live in fear.”
Meanwhile, Mayor DeStefano sent a letter of support to the NYC consulate in February, saying the city is a welcoming place for immigrants and has benefited from the Ecuadorian community here. He cited the city’s effort to embrace the city’s undocumented population, through immigrant-friendly policing and municipal IDs. The city’s location on I‑95 and I‑91 was pitched as a selling point, too.
No word yet on New Haven’s chances: The final decision rests with Ecuador’s minister of foreign affairs. Meanwhile, the campaign continues, with letters to politicians and immigrant advocates, hoping more people will put in a good word for the town.
To learn more, email here.
Past Independent coverage of New Haven’s Ecuadorian community:
• Relief Sought For Flood Victims
‚Ä¢ Ecuador.Com, With A Shot Of “Viagra Natural”
• Freddy Goes Home
‚Ä¢ Slain Immigrant’s Family Wants Him Home
Will the consulate be a tax free entity, using space and resources without paying for them?
Will the employees of the consulate be immune to local laws, like paying parking tickets (as in NYC)?
What will be the benefits to New Haven and its taxpayers to have the consulate here?