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Honduras Opens Consulate in Aurora

THE CONSULAR OFFICE WILL BEGIN OPEARATIONS ON THRUSDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 AT 11AM.

Newsroom El Comercio de Colorado

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After months of waiting, the Honduran government will inaugurate its new consulate in the city of Aurora next Thursday, September 26. The announcement was made by the Honduran Ministry of Foreign Affairs, fulfilling a promise made in mid-2023 by Vice Chancellor Antonio García.

Tamara Toro Rivera will serve as Consul General at this Honduran consular office. Toro Rivera is a career diplomat and previously served as Consul General at one of the Honduran consulates in the state of Illinois. The Consul General will be accompanied by three other officials.

This is the third Honduran consulate opened in the U.S. in 2024. Honduran consulates in Tampa, Florida, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, are already operational. A fourth Honduran consulate will be established in Phoenix, Arizona, in the coming months.

CÓNSUL GENERAL OF HONDURAS IN AURORA | Tamara Toro Rivera. (Photo/El Comercio de Colorado)

Presence of the Vice Minister

The Vice Minister of Consular Relations and Migratory Affairs of Honduras, Ambassador Antonio García Carranza, will be present at the inauguration ceremony of the new consulate. In 2023, Ambassador García Carranza announced the beginning of operations for the new consulates, reaffirming the Honduran government’s commitment to its citizens abroad.

García Carranza has also been a key figure in the modernization of consular services, leading the implementation of the ACOS system, a new platform designed to optimize and streamline the consular appointment process. The implementation of the ACOS system represents a transition to a more efficient platform, facilitating access for Honduran citizens to consular services.

RECEIVES THE KEY TO THE CITY| Antonio García Carranza, Vice Minister of Consular Relations, and Migratory Affairs of Honduras, alongside Jason Batchelor, City Manager of Aurora, Colorado. (Photo/Aurora Press)

Third Central American Consulate in Colorado

With this consulate in operation, Hondurans will no longer have to travel to consulates located in California or Texas to renew their passports, obtain consular identification cards, or perform any other procedures. Hondurans residing in Colorado and several neighboring states will now be able to complete their formalities in Aurora.

The Honduran Ministry of Foreign Affairs indicated that consular appointments must be made using the ACOS (Consular Affairs) system. This system began operating in 2023 and is active for Hondurans to initiate their formalities at the new consulates that have opened in the U.S. in 2024, including the one in Aurora, Colorado.

Honduras is the second Central American country to open a consulate in Aurora. El Salvador opened its consulate in the same city in 2017. A third Central American country, Guatemala, has a consulate in Colorado, but it is based in the city of Denver.

Honduran Population

According to the Migration Policy Institute (MPI), by the end of 2022, approximately 557,528 people, or 9.5% of Colorado’s residents, were born outside the U.S. Of these, 281,720, or 50.5%, were born in Latin America, including South America, Central America, Mexico, and the Caribbean.

The MPI indicates that in 2022, around 32,069 Colorado residents were born in Central America. Additionally, the MPI estimated that in 2022, about three thousand Hondurans residing in Colorado were beneficiaries of TPS (Temporary Protected Status). Since December 2022, an undetermined number of Hondurans have arrived in the Denver metropolitan area.

Aurora Welcomes New Honduran Consulate

The city of Aurora has expressed its enthusiasm for the opening of the new Consulate General of Honduras, the second diplomatic post established in the city. Mayor Mike Coffman highlighted the importance of cultural diversity in Aurora, recognizing that one of the city’s greatest strengths is its international community. Coffman emphasized that they are delighted to host the new consulate and to continue building strong relationships with the Honduran community in Colorado. This consulate will provide services to over 15,000 Hondurans living in the state, most of whom reside in Aurora, and will promote trade and cultural relations between Honduras and Colorado.

The Aurora Office of International and Immigrant Affairs, which collaborated in the efforts to inaugurate the consulate, celebrated this new step as a reaffirmation of the city’s potential to become an integrative hub for migration and commerce. With the opening of this consulate, Aurora continues its trajectory of attracting entrepreneurs, business opportunities, and investments from around the world, solidifying its role as a key player in the integration of immigrants and refugees into the civic, economic, and cultural life of the city.