Mexico grants birthright citizenship as US debates changing its rule

While Trump seeks to restrict birthright citizenship in the US, Mexico continues to grant citizenship to children born on its soil

As the United States debates whether children born to migrants should automatically become citizens, Mexico continues to follow a different path.

 

It is granting citizenship to anyone born within its territory, regardless of their parents’ immigration status.

 

A report by the Associated Press (AP) highlighted the experience of Haitian migrants in Mexico, where children born on Mexican soil receive citizenship automatically. The policy has become a key difference between Mexico and the US as President Donald Trump pushes to end birthright citizenship for some children born in America.

 

Trump signed an executive order on January 20, 2025, seeking to deny birthright citizenship to children whose parents are living in the US illegally or hold temporary legal status. The issue is now before the US Supreme Court, which is expected to examine the constitutional validity of the order, AP reported.

 

Mexico among countries offering citizenship by birth

 

Contrary to Trump’s claim that the US is the only country offering birthright citizenship, AP reported that around three dozen countries, mostly in the Americas, provide automatic citizenship to children born on their territory.

 

Countries such as Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Argentina, Honduras and Venezuela follow variations of this principle.

 

In Mexico, the policy has provided a pathway for migrant families who settle in the country. For many, citizenship for their children also creates access to better mobility, education and future opportunities.

 

Haitian migrants find stability in Mexico

 

AP reported the story of Vivianne Petit Frere, a Haitian migrant who runs a restaurant named Lakou Lakay in Tijuana, close to the US-Mexico border.

 

Petit Frere left Haiti in 2019, travelling through Brazil and crossing the dangerous Darién Gap between Colombia and Panama before reaching Mexico. Her original plan was to enter the US and settle with relatives in Florida, but she eventually built a life in Mexico.

 

Her granddaughter Alexca, born in Mexico two years ago, became the first Mexican citizen in her family.

 

According to AP, Petit Frere has established a business, learned Spanish, pursued a social work degree and become involved in supporting the Haitian migrant community.

 

She said Mexican citizenship would give her granddaughter more opportunities, including easier international travel, as Haitian passport holders often face significant visa restrictions.

 

Impact on migrant families

 

Mexico’s birthright citizenship policy also affects the legal status of parents. AP reported that parents of children born with Mexican citizenship can obtain permanent residency, even if they previously lacked legal status.

 

In Tijuana’s Haitian community, several families have gained legal stability through this route. Petit Frere told AP that many Haitian parents whose children were born in Mexico later received permanent residency because of their children’s citizenship.

 

However, the exact number of children born to non-citizens who have received Mexican citizenship is not available. AP reported that tens of thousands of Haitians live in Mexico, and during a rise in Haitian migration in 2021, at least 10 per cent of arriving Haitian women were pregnant, according to the International Organisation for Migration.

 

Why birthright citizenship remains controversial

 

In the US, birthright citizenship is linked to the 14th Amendment, introduced after the Civil War to establish citizenship rights for formerly enslaved people.

 

Legal historians cited by AP said the concept has roots going back centuries, when European colonial powers encouraged migration while maintaining citizenship links with settlers’ descendants.

 

The debate has intensified in the US as immigration policy becomes a major political issue.

 

Lessons from countries that changed policy

Not all countries have continued with broad birthright citizenship.

 

AP reported that the Dominican Republic removed automatic citizenship protections for children born to parents without legal status. In 2013, a court decision applied the change retrospectively to people born as far back as 1929, leaving many without citizenship.

 

According to the Centre for Migration Studies of New York, as many as 130,000 people remained stateless despite legal reforms later.

 

The experience has become an example of the long-term consequences of changing citizenship rules.

 

A changing global immigration debate

 

For migrant families, citizenship by birth can determine access to rights, travel opportunities and legal security. Mexico’s approach contrasts sharply with the US debate, where policymakers are reconsidering a system that has existed for more than a century.

 

For families like Petit Frere’s, the issue is not only about legal status but also about building a future in the country where the next generation is born.

 

(With inputs from AP)