Background and Relevance
In recent news, advocacy groups, including the Grupo de Identidad y Educación (GIE) and the Instituto para las Mujeres en la Migración (IMUMI), have urgently appealed to President Claudia Sheinbaum. Their demand is for the regularization of more than 600,000 Mexican-born children residing in Mexico without obtaining Mexican nationality. These children are the offspring of Mexican parents living abroad.
Current Situation and Challenges
In April 2024, the requirement for an apostille to apply for dual nationality was removed following a reform to Mexico’s Civil and Family Procedures Code. However, the Secretaría de Gobernación has yet to issue necessary guidelines for implementing this change. This delay leaves thousands of deported minors without legal protection in Mexico.
Contextual Importance
The urgency stems from the United States’ stricter migratory policies, which threaten to eliminate birthright citizenship for children of irregular migrants. In this context, the Mexican state’s action is crucial to safeguard the rights of binational children.
Advocacy Groups’ Demands
On May 14 last year, these organizations delivered a letter to the President, requesting collaboration with civil society and returned families to draft guidelines ensuring binational children’s right to identity.
- No Additional Requirements: Advocacy groups insist that the guidelines should not introduce new obstacles hindering access to dual nationality for these children.
- Principle of Progressivism: They emphasize the importance of upholding the principle of progressivism and eliminating administrative barriers that could delay family reintegration into Mexico.
Statistics on Deported Minors
According to data from the Secretaría de Gobernación, there were 2,270 events of deported Mexican children (girls, boys, and adolescents) from the United States between January and March 2025.
- 595 children are aged 0-11.
- 1,675 children are aged 12-17.
The majority of these cases are concentrated in Tamaulipas (655), followed by Sonora (532), and Chihuahua (420) with the highest number of returned minors.
