GRAYSON — Sts. John and Elizabeth Catholic Church was transformed into a mini Mexican consulate on Saturday.

Martin Alcala Salgado, the deputy consul from the Mexican Consulate of Indianapolis, and 10 members of his staff visited Grayson. They set up a mobile unit at the church to issue Mexican passports and Mexican identification, known as the marticula consular or consular ID card, to more than 300 Mexicans living in the area.

The marticula consular is a type of national ID card for Mexicans living outside Mexico. The card is bilingual and has a variety of security features, according to Salgado. Cards can be issued to Mexican nationals of any age, as long as they are able to provide documentation, he said.

The IDs can be helpful to Mexicans living in the United States who are unable to obtain other forms of identification. They are recognized by a variety of banks and can be used to gain access to public buildings where identification is required, Salgado said.

The information gathered from Mexicans issued the identification cards on Saturday was sent through an Internet connection to a government data base in Mexico. That information, he said, will be used by the Mexican government in various ways and often helps Mexicans find relatives living abroad.

Ismael Blanco, 33, of Lexington, said he traveled to Grayson to visit the mobile consulate. Blanco, who immigrated to the United States six months ago, said he needed identification, so he and a friend came to Grayson together. He said it was much easier for him to travel to Carter County than to Indianapolis.

The visit also saved Carmen Gomez, 27, a drive to Indianapolis.

“It’s really nice that they are here. It saved me that long drive to Indiana,” she said.

Gomez is an American citizen as are her two children, but her husband is not. He needed to get a new ID — he lost his old one — and a passport.

She said the consulate had been helpful to family members in the past, answering questions and assisting them in filling out immigration papers.

Salgado said the purpose of the consulate is to assist Mexicans living in the United States and serving as an advocate for them and a contact for local authorities.

“The Mexican Consulate is not only here today to provide services to (the) Mexican population,” he said.

The Grayson visit was also an effort to “strengthen relationships with local authorities” and “offer the possibility to work together.”

“We are here in the United States to respect the American law. We are not against the law, and look for the law to be applied correctly to every Mexican,” Salgado said.

Mexico has a total of 46 consulates in the United States. The Mexican Consulate of Indianapolis serves Mexicans living in Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky and parts of Illinois.

Mary Osborne, a victim advocate for FIVCO with Pathways, said she asked the consulate to visit Grayson. She said the distance to Indianapolis was cost prohibitive to many immigrants. The consulate does not normally visit rural areas, but the large Mexican population justified the visit.

Isela Arras, immigration project coordinator for the Kentucky Domestic Violence Association, also helped arrange Saturday’s visit. She said that having passports and identification are vital for immigrant women, especially if they need to ask for help.

“Identification is key to accessing benefits,” she said. “People need to prove who they are and I think that makes the consulate hugely important.”

Osborne and Arras are among the growing list of advocates for the immigrant population in Grayson and surrounding areas.

The Grayson church also has reached out to the growing Hispanic population. A Spanish Mass is celebrated at 12:30 p.m. each Sunday.

Sister Maria Browne, parish life director, said the church is working to unite the church’s Spanish- and English- speaking congregations.

“We’re trying to create occasions where we come together,” she said.

Plans include a bilingual Mass every other month and fellowship dinners.

CARRIE KIRSCHNER can be reached at ckirschner@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2653.