Exclusive Interview: Ambassador Ana Lucy Gentil Cabral Petersen Bids Farewell to New York

After four years as the Consul General of Brazil in New York, the Ambassador bids farewell to her post to face new challenges, this time on the Asian continent.In an exclusive interview with The Brasilians, Ambassador Ana Lucy Gentil Cabral Petersen reflects on her four years of management at the New York Consulate and highlights the achievements and challenges she faced. Ana Lucy leaves the busiest Brazilian consulate in the world and heads to Bangkok, the capital of Thailand.The Brasilians: In New York, you took charge of the busiest Brazilian consulate in the world. How do you evaluate your four years of management?Ana Lucy Gentil Cabral Petersen: When I arrived here, although people told me it was all wonderful, I found that everyone complained about the time it took to process documents. So, I think the great achievement during my time here was to get more staff to work on evaluating documentation requests. About a year and a half ago, we managed to transform this consulate into an exemplary consulate. In other words, a person arrives with their documents filled out and with the payment for the issuance of the document, and 90% of the requests are processed immediately. Some do not get processed because we are required to conduct a name check with the Federal Police in Brazil. Some have issues with Brazilian justice, such as non-payment of Income Tax. The name gets held up, and we have to consult Brasília. This can take between two to three days. But I think everyone is satisfied. We handle 400 visits daily. There are 300 documents processed in the morning and 100 in the afternoon when we focus on requests from foreigners.TB: So, have you noticed a more positive response from the community?ALGCP: Yes, I have, and this makes me very happy, especially because I faced complaints when I arrived since people couldn’t produce their documents. When I arrived, it took two months just to schedule an appointment at the Consulate. Then the person would arrive here and take another two months to get a passport. At first, I thought the problem was just the volume, but then I realized that with more trained staff, it would be possible to expedite these requests. The consular system has also been improved and modernized. We still face failures in this system, but there’s not much we can do to avoid it because it’s not here at the Consulate; it’s a global network that operates all the time.TB: And what were the challenges?ALGCP: The challenge is precisely to convince people that the world has changed and that it was necessary to expedite service. But I think the policy of consular assistance to Brazilians has changed a lot in recent years. When I entered the career, this was the negative and difficult part in Brazil. Nowadays, the reason for the existence of the Consulate is undoubtedly to serve the Brazilian community.TB: Right at the beginning of your management, there was a corruption allegation involving Consulate staff in New York by the magazine Isto É. This led to an investigation by the Itamaraty. What was the result of this investigation? Did the Brazilian government take measures to prevent this from happening again?ALGCP: Indeed, a serious fraud that had been occurring for many years was detected here. I cannot comment because this issue is still being criminally evaluated in Brazil by both the Attorney General’s Office and the Federal Police. I do not have detailed information on how this is being handled. Here in the United States, this is also being evaluated by the Attorney General of New York. On the other hand, we are trying to improve what was detected. What was it? Precisely having more staff with better training to consider and authorize documentation. In other words, the staff that evaluates is all from the diplomatic career; if they are not diplomats, they are consular assistants or consular officers. There is also the issue of agents who used to come at any time. They now have to follow rules and are only received on certain days. They must register at the Consulate and accept that their requests will be evaluated. Why is this? Because we found that there are agents who present false documents; this is absurd because it harms the person interested in the document. These are concerns we have had to ensure that our work is more correct and efficient.TB: Itinerant consulates are important for Brazilians living farther from the city. However, there has been a decrease in the number of itinerants. Why?ALGCP: Itinerant consulates are extremely important to serve the Brazilian community. When I arrived, there was one per month. The cutback on itinerants was due to the financial difficulties of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We have the greatest interest in conducting them, not only because we get to know the community in that locality better but also because our function here is precisely to work for the Brazilians. This year we conducted three itinerant consulates, and that is very little. To try to help improve this situation, we created the “Consulate in the Community.” The staff here go to Newark and Long Branch as if it were a normal workday, but they do not receive per diem or anything like that. Therefore, they have to go and return on the same day. It’s equivalent to the itinerant. But, unfortunately, we cannot go very far because the staff would need to sleep, and then we enter the story of the lack of money, and we cannot pay per diem. We try to encourage help from everyone. In general, they are volunteers who volunteer to do this, and we reward them with free time.TB: Has the New York Consulate noticed an increase in the number of Brazilian immigrants due to the crisis in Brazil?ALGCP: We have no record of an increase. Last year, according to American data, the number of Brazilian tourists who visited New York was about one million. But we do not have records of Brazilian immigration. The consulate is called when there are problems, that is, rejection, deportation, extradition, arrest. We have no record of an increase in these cases. We have noticed an increase in fear, anxiety, and concern in the community. We have adopted several initiatives, such as creating a handbook so that people who are detained are aware that they can request a lawyer, that they need to have documents, etc.TB: After passing through many other cities, you bid farewell to New York. What did you like the most and will miss in the capital of the world?ALGCP: I think the variety of New York, the mega city that it is, the ease of finding everything, the cultural richness, I think all of this influences everyone who arrives here. Of course, we can never know everything that the city has to offer due to the variety of options, but the richness presented here in terms of culture, gastronomy, everything you want and dream of can be found here, so it makes life much easier. On the other hand, not being American, I do not have to suffer the daily competition that we see on people’s faces who are here to earn a living and a future. There’s also the cost of living. Supermarket prices three years ago were one price, and today they are another. Rents are so high in Manhattan that you end up living outside. Those with children, for example, cannot afford to live here and choose to live in New Jersey or north of New York. Then they do not enjoy the city as much.TB: What is your next destination?ALGCP: I will go to Bangkok, Thailand. It will be my first time as an Ambassador on the Asian continent.TB: What message do you have for the Brazilian community in New York?ALGCP: Our interest is to serve the Brazilian community better and better, and we are open to suggestions. I am very attentive to the itinerants, and we have made requests to Brasília about the need to continue this. I would like to remind everyone that next year we will have federal elections. Here abroad, we only vote for President. This consulate has about 20,000 registered voters. So, it would be good for everyone to be updated with their voter registration. Currently, the service for transferring and obtaining a Voter Registration Card is open and will close closer to the elections.