Mexican parents obtain dual citizenship for U.S.-born child
JOY LEWIS/ASSOCIATED PRESS Olga Torres and her husband, Rodolfo De Leon, obtained dual American-Mexican citizenship for their 2-year-old American-born daughter Genesis De Leon. They did so through a campaign being offered by the Mexican government. During a campaign that was initially to run Jan. 12-15, the Mexican Consulate in Atlanta has allowed parents to bring their children to the consulate by 7 a.m. each day to register for dual Mexican-American citizenship. To do so, the child must have been born in the United States and have at least one Mexican parent. Usually, the consulate takes only 20 applications each weekday, but during the campaign the consulate has attended to everyone who arrived by 7 a.m. Because of high demand, the campaign has been extended through Feb. 12, according to the consulateās Web site.
Mexican parents obtain dual citizenship for U.S.-born child
By ANDREA CASTILLO – acastillo@macon.com
On the morning of Jan. 15, Olga Torres, 40, and her husband, Rodolfo De Leon, 46, woke up at 4 a.m. to make sure they arrived at the Mexican Consulate in Atlanta before 7 a.m.
The two, who are from Mexico and permanent residents of the United States, made the trek nearly three weeks ago to register their daughter Genesis, who will be 3 years old in March, as a citizen of both countries.
During the campaign, an average of 40 people have visited the consulate each day, and the number peaked at 87, said Armando Bello, spokesman for the consulate.
āIn case they want to go back to Mexico, they can go back as Mexican citizens. If they want to come to the U.S., they can come back as American citizens,ā Bello said.
As number 53 in line, De Leon and Torres were at the consulate until about 12:30 p.m. before they were processed.
The couple intends to return to Mexico someday, and dual citizenship creates opportunities for Genesis in both countries, allowing her to vote both here and in Mexico. Genesis also needs to be a Mexican citizen to attend public school there, Torres said. Both Torres and De Leon said they place a strong emphasis on education for Genesis, though neither of them finished high school.