Two of Mexico's consulates in the northeastern United States are seeing an uptick in the number of Mexicans looking for a dual citizenship for their children born in U.S. territory; the purpose is being able to prevent a family separation in case of deportation.

The rise in the number of passport applications comes as a reaction to President Donald Trump's restrictive immigration policies that practically see any undocumented immigrant in the United States as a deportation priority.

A U.S. citizen who is a minor remains in the United States if his or her parents are deported to their countries of origin. The minor can only accompany their deported parents if they have the corresponding immigration documents.

The Institute for Migration Policies said that one-third of the nearly 11 million undocumented migrants in the United States have at least one American child, so the family separation dramas often occur.

The Center of Innovation for Racial Justice reported that in 2011 at least 5,100 US children of immigrants deported or detained, were separated from their parents and kept in shelters.

The scenario of separation moved the Mexican community to get prepared.

Spokesman for the Mexican Consulate in New York, Gerardo Izzo, said that applications to obtain passports at this consular center increased 30 percent in the last two months.

In an interview, Izzo said the Consulate in New York, both at its headquarters in Manhattan and it's mobile service centers in the Tri-State area (which includes the states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut) processes about 50 passports on average each day.

"Not only have we had more requests for records, but also more interest in obtaining information. Something that worries peasants the most is how they can obtain double nationality for their children, because their main concern is an eventual separation of the family", he explained.

To alleviate this fears, Izzo said that the Mexican Consulate expanded its capacity, both from its headquarters in Manhattan and its mobile centers in the three states that encompass this district.

Meanwhile, the Mexican Consulate in Boston (which serves the states of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, Vermont and New Hampshire) stated that in February 2017, there were 102 registrations of Mexican children born in the United States, as well as 26 in January.

Data provided by the Consulate of Documentation of this consular headquarters, Camila Aviña, showed that the cumulative number of birth records during the first two months of this year is 240 percent higher than the same period of 2016.

Published originally in Noticias MVS

Don't forget there's more news in SanDiegoRed.com, You can also follow onFacebook & Twitter.

Editorial@sandiegored.com