Job Discussion Forums

[MotherF]

It has recently come to my attention that there are a significant number of American citizens illegally in Mexico. These US citizens are children, brought to Mexico by their parents but their parents never processed their Mexican citizenship. They came into Mexico as tourists sometimes as long as 17 years ago.

I'm sharing this with you because over the past ten years I've been translating US birth certificates for Mexican parents of little Americans ready to start school here in Mexico. If you are approached to do the same, I advise you to direct the parents to the nearest Relationes Exteriores office so they can process their child's Mexican citizenship. They may not have done this because they had no idea that they were supposed to, or they may not have done this because they were afraid their child would lose their US citizenship. They won't and they are doing their child a disservice my not getting their Mexican paperwork in order, they are also exposing their children to possible fines if they try to leave the country without having proof that they were here legally.

[BadBeagleBad]

[MotherF]

I discovered this eavesdropping in IMN. There was a family of 5 the parents were Mexican and the mother also has US residency. They came to Mexico 3 years ago and the 3 kids were issued tourist visas when they came in. The mother tried to take them out of the country (via plane) and airport in Oaxaca asked for their tourist visas. They no longer had them but had enterance stamps and were going to level a fine for over staying their visas by 3 years. They were now at the main Oaxacan immigration office trying to figure out what to do. There options were to pay the fine for each child, or process the children's Mexican citizenship through Relaciones Exteriors, and of course the immigration official's didn't have any idea what that would entail or how long that would take. And there were four expensive plane tickets hanging in the balance.

[BadBeagleBad]

I suspect this is a big problem in states that have a lot of people who have lived in the US for long periods of time, Zacatecas being one of the states with the highest percentage of immigrants (close to 10%). I know it is a huge problem here, both in terms of problems for kids of returning parents, and the parents themselves, having been out of the workforce in Mexico for many years, often have a hard time finding a job. There are programs for these people, at least in Zacatecas, but it is a problem that was largely ignored by Calderon, as well as EstePendejoNarcisista.

[MotherF]

This topic is in the news again.

[notamiss]

It’s not entirely clear that they’re illegal here, because they are entitled to Mexican nationality through their parents. What is lacking for them to stay out of trouble isn’t applying for Mexican nationality (because they do have it), but processing the paperwork and getting the personal documents to prove their Mexican nationality. I expect it’s a different process to register their Mexican nationality than when a foreigner like us without Mexican antecedents applies for Mexican nationality. Nevertheless, that wouldn’t make it fast and easy for them if they are lacking the necessary documents.

[MotherF]

They are entitled to citizenship and what is lacking is an public service campaign to alert parents to the procedures and assure them that they won't loose their US citizenship by gaining Mexican citizenship. I've talked to several people who said they preferred the kids to be US citizens who were unaware that you can be both.

[notamiss]

Not disagreeing with anything you said, but trying to make the distinction between on the one hand 1) applying for Mexican nationality and being granted it, and on the other 2) claiming and documenting the Mexican nationality which they are automatically entitled to.

I think it is Case (2) that applies to these young people and indeed, as you say, it‘s very important that they and their parents be made aware of their status and what they can and should do.

[Guy Courchesne]

[BadBeagleBad]

http://www.paisano.gob.mx/

There is lots of information here that would be of use. There is also a guidebook that has much of this information in printer form. They should have the book (or you can request copies) at bus terminals and airports I know in Mexico City at TAPO they have a permanent booth.

[MotherF]

Guy those aren't Dreamers Dreamer's aren't US citizens. The 300,000 in the report I posted are US citizen children who have been returned to Mexico by their parents. They will be free to go back to the US when they are of age.
Dreamer's are children who were moved to the US as minors usually in early childhood and grew up in the US and want to stay there because it's the only home they've ever known but are not legal US citizen so can not stay there.

[Guy Courchesne]