Citing the recent election of Donald Trump, the Mexican Consulate of Chicago said it will be on alert and ready to assist Mexican nationals in the greater Chicago area in asserting their rights. 

“The Consulate General of Mexico in Chicago will pay close attention to any expression that could endanger or harm the integrity of Mexicans and will respond with all the legal and diplomatic tools available to any incident that could threaten their rights and dignity,” Consul General Carlos Jiménez Macías said, reading from a prepared statement. After reading the statement in English and Spanish, he did not take questions from the media. 

During the campaign season, Trump famously characterized Mexicans as criminals and rapists, and he vowed to have Mexico pay to build a wall between the two countries. 

Macías said his consulate will continue monitoring immigration enforcement policies, and he encouraged Mexicans and Mexican-Americans to stay in touch with the consulate to receive information about those matters and their rights.

Odette Yousef is WBEZ’s North Side reporter. You can follow her @oyousef.