QUILANTAN BECOMES FAVORITE BORDER VILLAN

By Oflodor Q. Sanera
Never in the history of this border had we suffered the in such a nefarious diplomat as we have suffered under the Mexican Counsul in Brownsville Rodolfo Quilantán Arenas.
This diplomat is worthy of being a Pixar creation, turning as he has, into the favorite villain of the media along the border, or as the press knows him "fito," was introduced with much fanfare and immediately sought to denigrate his predecessor. Now, after stoically having borne three years we are now convinced of his unequivocal inefficiency; there are less passports requested at the office now, there are almost no bilateral meetings, and when clients or Mexican nationals appear there for services, they encounter a semi-militarized environment.
Our complaints have fallen on deaf ears as have the publication of stories in the local press outlining Quilantan's mediocre and shady labors, and even though his colleagues in McAllen and San Antonio don't share his reputation, they don;t have the luxury of reveling in his infamy, as he does. The entire border community is asking how it is possible that the Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Relations (SRE) allows this man to continue besmirching Mexico's image along this border.
One instance that illustrates Quintalan's unacceptable behavior is the verbal abuse he dished out to a Mexican lawyer before witnesses right outside of the consulate. Even though a complaint was filed with Foreign Relations, the consul filed a complaint against his fellow Mexican with the local police department in return and they did take action.

The second instance of arrogant and abusive behavior on the part of our worthy and manipulative consul was when he – enlisting the aid of the Tamaulipas State Police – threatened and tried to coerce a widow from San Luis Postosi acting well outside his powers and under the color of authority to have her legally represented by a U.S. law firm in her wrongful death claims against the Border Patrol. Only the intervention against these actions by the Mexican Commission on Human Rights and a complaint to cease and desist in the federal court in Brownsville was able to put a stop to Quilantan's depredations. Somehow, our leading consular light forgot that the authority vested in his position is to assist Mexican nationals on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande and not to be acting as a runner for U.S. law firms.
Thirdly, and even more pedestrian, is his use of the consulate to promote and hawk Mexican crafts. Traditionally, this consulate has acted as a showplace for established Mexican crafts – specifically those of the FONART –  and not to help all artists alike show their wares in exhibitions and sales in the United States. Why are not all artists are treated the same? Like the Negro Durazo in the construction of his Parthenon from public funds, Quilantan has incurred the anger of folk artists from throughout Mexico by favoring the establishment art product over those of the in regional artisans and has further alienated this sector from his office. This favoritism on behalf of those consulate officials who receive commissions from the sales instead of promoting Mexican art in general has not gone unnoticed.
The SRE  has no formal agreement with FONART to promote their works, and it is no secret that one of the persons who most benefit from the informal relationship with this established art distributor is no one else but his wife  Patricia Tapia de Quilantán who has been given a free rein to pursue her economic endeavors from within the consulate in violation of SRE regulations and code of ethics. Her commercial group – Damas Voluntarias del Consulado – is not registered with the Texas Secretary of State to do business in Texas, but his doesn't seem to phase them.
And so we continue to see Quilantan move through the border and acting with impunity to safeguard his personal interests instead of using his office to protect his fellow Mexicans and to place the name of his country at a higher level. Instead of a consulate dedicated to promote positive and constructive interaction between our countries, Quilantan has found a niche that gives him the exalted position he craves combined with the lucrative monopolist storefront for his economic interests at the expense of the national honor.
How long his protectors at the SRE will continue to allow this perversion of this office and provide protection to this exalted bureaucrat who exalts in his private kingdom representing our country and tarnishing his image is hard to tell.
But with every passing day that Quilantan remains on this border, the sovereignty and honor of the SRE and the Mexican nation will continue to be secondary to his arrogance and egotistical designs