The Government of El Salvador continues to take significant steps in ensuring the protection, care, and promotion of the rights of migrant children and adolescents, along with their families, in Mexico and the United States.
In a coordinated effort, the Vice Minister for the Diaspora and Human Mobility, Cindy Mariella Portal, and the representative of the Executive Directorate of the National Council for Early Childhood, Children, and Adolescents (CONAPINA), Luis Ayala, simultaneously inaugurated five new offices at Salvadoran consulates.
“As part of the coordinated work led by President Nayib Bukele’s government, today we take a new step in addressing a priority sector: Salvadoran children and adolescents,” said Portal during the event.
The new offices, located in Salvadoran consulates in Los Angeles, California, and Houston, Texas, in the U.S., as well as in San Luis Potosí, Villahermosa, and Acayucan, Mexico, will provide specialized care for early childhood, children, and adolescents, particularly those involved in migratory flows.
“This initiative is being developed under the ‘Plan Brazos Abiertos’ (Open Arms Plan), which has adapted suitable spaces for the comprehensive care and protection of this population group. These services will now be available in 10 consular offices across northern Mexico and southern United States,” added the Vice Minister.
Portal also highlighted that during 2023, CONAPINA offices were opened in Salvadoran consulates in Tapachula, Monterrey, Ciudad Juárez, and Tijuana, Mexico, as well as McAllen, Texas.
“This year, in alignment with the guidelines of the First Lady, Gabriela de Bukele, we expanded our vision and mission regarding children’s rights and activated the second phase of implementing new CONAPINA offices,” she continued.
The newly established offices aim to cover key territories along the migratory route and areas with a significant Salvadoran diaspora. Services offered include specialized psychosocial care, psychological first aid, family reunification verification, shelter visits, support for voluntary return processes, legal advice, and assistance in cases of hospitalization due to health issues or accidents.
“With this approach, we have equipped the offices with specific resources for the trained CONAPINA staff, ensuring a safe and trustworthy environment for addressing the needs of our fellow citizens,” Portal concluded.
The event also saw the participation of Alejandro José Letona, Consul General of El Salvador in Los Angeles, along with consulate officials and special guests.