Just a short distance from the U.S.-Mexico border in the city of Tijuana, Haitian migrant Vivianne Petit Frere has built a new life far from the country she once hoped to reach. Her restaurant, Lakou Lakay, serves traditional Haitian food and reflects the community she has established in Mexico since arriving in 2019. Get today's headlines by email Her granddaughter, Alexca, was born in Mexico two years ago and automatically became a Mexican citizen under the country's birthright citizenship laws. Mexico, like the United States, grants citizenship to most children born on its territory regardless of their parents' nationality. The issue has drawn renewed attention as Donald Trump seeks to end automatic citizenship for children born in the United States to parents who are in the country illegally or hold temporary legal status. Dozens of Countries Offer Birthright CitizenshipTrump has repeatedly argued that the United States is unique in granting birthright citizenship. In an April social media post, he claimed the U.S. was the only country that allowed the practice. However, roughly three dozen countries, most of them in the Americas, provide automatic citizenship to children born within their borders. These include Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Honduras and Venezuela. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to address legal challenges to Trump's executive order, signed on Jan. 20, 2025, that seeks to restrict birthright citizenship as part of a broader immigration crackdown. Historical Roots of the PolicyIn the United States, birthright citizenship is rooted in the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, adopted after the Civil War to ensure citizenship for formerly enslaved people. Later Supreme Court rulings expanded the principle, establishing that nearly anyone born on U.S. soil is a citizen regardless of their parents' immigration status. Legal scholars trace the concept even further back to European colonial practices, where citizenship was generally tied to birthplace within a monarch's territory. Dominican Republic's Different PathNot all countries in the region maintain birthright citizenship. The Dominican Republic moved to restrict the practice in 2007 by denying citizenship to children born to parents without legal status. A court ruling in 2013 applied the policy retroactively to 1929. According to migration researchers, the decision left tens of thousands of people effectively stateless despite later legislation intended to address the issue. Critics argued the policy disproportionately affected people of Haitian descent. Building a Future in MexicoPetit Frere's own experience reflects the opportunities birthright citizenship can create for migrant families. After fleeing Haiti and traveling through several countries, including Brazil and Panama, she settled in Mexico and built a successful business. She has learned Spanish, is studying social work and is pursuing Mexican citizenship herself. She said Mexican citizenship could provide her granddaughter with greater opportunities and easier international travel than a Haitian passport would allow. Mexico also permits parents of Mexican-born children to obtain permanent residency. Petit Frere said many Haitian families in Tijuana have benefited from that pathway, helping them secure legal status after their children were born in the country. Today, she continues to advocate for migrants through the Haitian Bridge Alliance while pursuing plans to expand her business and further her education. Join the discussion? Already a member? Adapted by ASEAN Now. Source 25 June 2026
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