Mexico City Citizenship Program Gives Immigrant Children a Second Chance ABC-Univision
go to original June 1, 2013

Reyna Rodriguez poses for a picture with her children Hugo, 10, and Christian, who is just six. Rodriguez lived in Georgia for 12 years, but she was forced to return to Mexico last year, after she was handed a deportation notice. Both of her children were born in the United States. (Dyane Segura/Univision)

Readjusting to life in Mexico is a difficult task for the thousands of Mexican immigrants who get deported from the United States each year. It's even harder for those with children, like Reyna Rodriguez, who were born in the United States.

... To fix these sorts of problems, Mexico City officials have started an initiative to get Mexican citizenship for the kids of deportees and other Mexicans who come back to the country.

The program is part of a broader push to make Mexico City a more immigrant friendly city. It includes legal assistance for Central American immigrants who are attempting to obtain residency status as well as a program to give grants to Mexicans who have returned from the United States and would like to start a business.

"The government of this city... is seeking to facilitate the integration of immigrants into the workplace, into education, and into society, so that their human rights can be respected," said Hegel Cortes, Mexico City's top official for immigration issues. The citizenship program has grown rapidly since it was first launched in 2007.

Read the rest at ABC-Univision

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