The Mestizo Nation Unbound: Dual Citizenship of Euro-Mexicans and U.S.-Mexicans

Pablo Mateos , CIESAS

Over the last twenty years a vast and growing collective of Mexicans with dual U.S. or European Union (EU) citizenship has emerged. While most dual U.S.-Mexicans are associated with low socioeconomic status of mixed race (mestizo) or indigenous background, dual EU-Mexicans are mostly affluent individuals of European descent seeking EU passports for enhanced mobility, travel, education and business opportunities across the World. This paper gathers empirical evidence through 300 in-depth interviews in Mexico, the U.S., and the UK, together with the analysis of Internet discussion forums and secondary data sources. It proposes a typology of Mexican dual citizens, across various geographic regions, socioeconomic groups and social practices. The expansion of Mexican dual citizenship reveals the cracks in the Mexican nation-building project, around the concept of homogenous “mestizo” nation. Mexican dual citizens pose a number of contradictions for the future of the nation-state, with important implications for citizenship policy worldwide.

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 Presented in Session 24. Immigrant Integration and Incorporation