Mexico-US consular services funding and staffing

In July 2026, Mexican senators called for a restoration of the 2018 budget level for the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs' consular network, arguing that recent cuts had sharply reduced resources for legal and consular protection of Mexican migrants in the United States. They highlighted a 37 % decline in funding for protection and assistance, the elimination of the Migrant Support Fund, and urged the reinstatement of programs such as the 3×1 Migrants initiative.

By early August 2026, the focus shifted to staffing challenges as around 400 Mexican consular employees in the United States faced the loss of their A‑2 diplomatic visas, which are not renewable. The temporary visa extension arrangement that began in 2021 was ending, leaving staff and their families at risk of losing legal status. Mexico’s foreign ministry indicated it would seek to reassign the affected workers within the public administration, while a U.S. law firm continued to assist undocumented migrants through humanitarian immigration pathways.

Together, the snapshots illustrate a widening strain on Mexico’s consular capacity in the United States, encompassing both budgetary reductions and the impending loss of diplomatic visa privileges for consular personnel.