Mexico’s Congress has voted to grant dual citizenship to all Mexicans living abroad, rather than limiting the benefit to those born in 1998 and thereafter.
Last year, Congress amended the constitution to include a dual-citizenship provision, but it applied only to people born after March 1998, when the revisions are scheduled to go into effect.
The legislation passed Friday by a 427-0 vote covers all Mexicans.
The bill was sent to the president, who is expected to sign it into law.
Among those directly affected by the legislation are an estimated 20 million Mexicans living in the U.S.
Until now, Mexicans living abroad have been denied social security benefits, could not vote, and — if they took American or other foreign citizenship — lost their Mexican citizenship.
If the bill becomes law, Mexicans living abroad could enroll in health-care programs, pension and other retirement plans and could vote in presidential elections.
