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MotherF
Joined: 07 Jun 2010 Posts: 1450 Location: 17�48'N 97�46'W
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 2:48 pm Post subject: Illegal in Mexico |
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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. |
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BadBeagleBad
Joined: 23 Aug 2010 Posts: 1186 Location: 24.18105,-103.25185
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 5:43 pm Post subject: Re: Illegal in Mexico |
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MotherF wrote: |
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.
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I am working with a program here in Zacatecas to address just that. Probably half the US born children were never registered just as you said, because they never knew they needed to. Some of these kids don´t even speak Spanish, and are having a hard time adapting not only to being in Mexico, but school, food, culture, pretty much everything. A problem that is pretty much ignored as far as I can tell. |
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MotherF
Joined: 07 Jun 2010 Posts: 1450 Location: 17�48'N 97�46'W
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Posted: Tue Jul 02, 2013 9:15 pm Post subject: |
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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. |
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BadBeagleBad
Joined: 23 Aug 2010 Posts: 1186 Location: 24.18105,-103.25185
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Posted: Thu Jul 04, 2013 4:11 pm Post subject: |
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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. |
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MotherF
Joined: 07 Jun 2010 Posts: 1450 Location: 17�48'N 97�46'W
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notamiss
Joined: 20 Jun 2007 Posts: 908 Location: El 5o pino del la CDMX
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Posted: Thu Nov 28, 2013 11:31 pm Post subject: |
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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. |
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MotherF
Joined: 07 Jun 2010 Posts: 1450 Location: 17�48'N 97�46'W
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Posted: Thu Nov 28, 2013 11:46 pm Post subject: |
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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. |
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notamiss
Joined: 20 Jun 2007 Posts: 908 Location: El 5o pino del la CDMX
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Posted: Fri Nov 29, 2013 1:37 am Post subject: |
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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. |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City
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Posted: Fri Nov 29, 2013 6:16 am Post subject: |
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MotherF wrote: |
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. |
I had Thanksgiving dinner with a group that is working on this campaign right now, though with a subgroup of the 300,000 you mention, called dreamers. Some deported, some voluntarily returned, all with issues of being lost in the system.
There is actually a bi-national panel of federal level Senators working on this issue - on immigration reform on the US side and on loosening paperwork restrictions for legalizing American high school diplomas on the Mexican side.
Eileen Truax of Los Angeles Spanish language media circles is here in town tomorrow to promote her book Dreamers, also covering the topic. She's covered the problem for years now. Catch her at El Instituto Mora if anyone is interested, 4 pm Friday. |
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BadBeagleBad
Joined: 23 Aug 2010 Posts: 1186 Location: 24.18105,-103.25185
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Posted: Fri Nov 29, 2013 5:29 pm Post subject: |
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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. |
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MotherF
Joined: 07 Jun 2010 Posts: 1450 Location: 17�48'N 97�46'W
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Posted: Fri Nov 29, 2013 5:37 pm Post subject: |
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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. |
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Guy Courchesne
Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City
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Posted: Sun Dec 01, 2013 9:31 pm Post subject: |
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MotherF wrote: |
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. |
I realized that after I posted and thought about it a bit more...sorry. An interesting other-topic nonetheless. |
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