In light of the mass deportations that President Donald Trump has promised to start carrying out early in his term, some people who are eligible have started to apply for for dual American and Mexican citizenship.
Susan Barnett, deputy editor at Tucson Spotlight and Foco de Tucson, joined The Show to talk about why people are trying to secure their dual citizenship.
Full conversation
MARK BRODIE: Susan, how common is it that people are trying to secure their dual citizenship?
SUSAN BARNETT: Yeah. So there is really no numbers. That's something that the Mexican consulate have. This is all really anecdotal evidence that I've seen myself being someone in the Mexican American community and having family members, friends also. It all started at the beginning of the year when I posted to my Instagram that getting my dual citizenship was a New Year's resolution, and I had a surprising amount of people that I didn't know that were strangers that I saw in passing online that swiped up and said, “Hey, this is something that I've wanted to do for years. But it seems like the process is very difficult, very drawn out.” And it was this, like I said, a surprising amount of people.
So, I took that as a sign to really delve deep into what the process looks like. And in my conversation with the Mexican consul, Raphael Barceló Durazzo, he told me that now is the perfect time. If anybody was waiting to do it, they should do it now because of the incoming president and the incoming administration, he said, because of these threats to deportations, to our immigrant communities. If a family is deciding to move back to Mexico or if they are forced to move back to Mexico, it is beneficial for the people that are in that family that are maybe American citizens to have their Mexican citizenship because it allows them to work, study. And it brings about so many benefits to people that are moving to Mexico if they need to, if they have to, or if they want to.
BRODIE: I'm curious about some of the people maybe that you interacted with on social media. Was this the reason that they said they were looking to do this? Because they're either nervous about perhaps having to leave the country or maybe choosing to leave the country and wanting to be able to work, go to school, etc., in Mexico.
BARNETT: So, personally, for the people that have reached out, it was mostly something that they have wanted to do for years. The administration really had nothing to do with it. But what the consul told me, it's not something that people are actively doing, but it is something that they should be doing, and it's something that he said people should be thinking ahead to these steps because obviously people that are part of mixed status families are going to be gravely affected by any deportations that might come their way. And because there's a lot of anxiety about family separations and deportations, the council is advising for people to take these proactive steps to ensure that if something were to happen, that they have that safety net in knowing that they can go to Mexico and they can also live a good life there in terms of being able to work, being able to get an education and being able to live legally in Mexico as well.

BRODIE: Is there a difference in the process to get dual citizenship if you do it in the United States versus if you do it in Mexico?
BARNETT: Yes, From what the consul told me, the process of getting it here in the United States is much simpler than it is in Mexico. Here it is mostly about gathering documents and having two witnesses that can attest. And here in Tucson specifically, the process is mostly online. You gather all the documents that you need, you email them to the consul, and then they reach out to set an appointment with you. The entire process here is completely free. And whereas, he said in Mexico, it is a different process that can be a little more jumping through hoops now that you are in Mexico as an American citizen. It's a different process, right?
BRODIE: So we've been talking about individuals, you know, preparing for the incoming administration to some extent in what might happen if they leave the U.S. But it sounds like there are some communities in southern Arizona where the governments are also trying to get ready for policy changes that might be coming with the new administration. You wrote recently about the community of South Tucson, and it sounds like there's maybe a little bit of controversy about the step they took in the way in which they took it. Is that fair?
BARNETT: Yeah. So the case with South Tucson is that one of the council members, Brian Flagg, brought up a resolution to direct the South Tucson Police Department to not comply with the orders of mass deportation. So South Tucson is a city within it's a little it's a pueblo within a city. That's what it's called. And so they have their own city government. They have their own police department, fire department. And they're very small, 1.2 mile-square cities with about 5,000 residents, which the mayor has said has vulnerable communities in it, like the undocumented community. So they really wanted to make a stance against Trump coming into office, and they wanted to make it a resolution, which as opposed to what other people have done, other cities have done, like the city of Tucson, is to make a statement. Having the resolution in place is subject to legal challenge. Which is something the city attorney said at the meeting.
Additionally, in the resolution, it had said that police officers must phone in or they must call over on the radio why they're stopping people and the reasoning behind that. So, the police chief was against having to add in extra steps to stops. And the city attorney said the city of South Tucson could face legal repercussions, which would cost the city money in the end and if there were lawsuits to come their way if they were to do a resolution. So, instead of doing a resolution, like many other cities, they are drafting a statement to direct the police to not comply with mass deportations. So that’s what’s happening in south Tucson. Though it did not end up being a resolution, there was really strong support from the council. Though there were more concerns about what that would mean for the city if they were to pass it as a resolution. So that’s why in the end, they decided to do a public statement, and it will be signed by the City Council and the police chief as well.
BRODIE: Interesting, all right, that was Susan Barnett, deputy editor of Tucson Spotlight and Foco de Tucson. Susan, nice to talk to you. Thank you.
BARNETT: Thank you. Have a good day.