Barriers to Accessing U.S. Birth Certificates for Migrant Parents Who Have Returned to Mexico with Their U.S. Citizen Children

Birth certificates are often the only form of legal identity documentation that children receive. Unfortunately, many barriers exist for undocumented immigrants when they attempt to request birth certificates for their children born in the United States, impeding parents’ ability to prove their children’s identities.

At the Institute for Women in Migration (IMUMI), we assist many clients with identity document applications for their children born in the United States. These clients, who are primarily from Mexico and Central America, were undocumented immigrants living in the United States when they gave birth to their children. When parents return to their home country (either voluntarily or after an order of deportation), their U.S. citizen children often accompany them.

In Mexico, it is important to register the children as Mexican citizens in order to apply for public benefits such as healthcare, education, or other governmental support. When parents do not have an original, certified copy of their child’s birth certificate, this process becomes virtually impossible, thereby denying the child not only proof of her U.S. citizenship, but also preventing access to her Mexican citizenship rights.