OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Mexican officials announced that they plan to open a Mexican consulate in the city.

Officials say this is a move in the right direction. Mayor David Holt thinks that it was about time.

“We have a fast-growing, tremendous Mexican American population in Oklahoma City,” Holt said.

In the city, there are more than 100 thousand Mexicans. Holt said they deserve a consulate in the city that they live in.

“They provide a place for people who still have citizen ties to those nations,” Holt said.

Right now, the nearest consulate to OKC is in Little Rock, Arkansas, over 300 miles away. The consulate will help Mexican Americans with legal services and will provide necessary documents.

“I also think it’s an important cultural touchstone for our community to have that presence from the nation of Mexico here in Oklahoma City,” the mayor said.

Holt hopes this will allow the community to continue growing.

“This is a milestone that demonstrates that the Mexican American community of OKC is really coming into its own and it’s becoming a community that has an identity,” Holt said.

Officials have not said when the consulate will open.

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