Guanajuato, Mexico – Citizenship and Her Royal Magesty: Queen Jennifer Rose

All the major web sites that deal with moving to Mexico and with visa issues all tell you that if you so desire, you can become a Mexican citizen. The sites go on to say what benefits Mexican citizenship can offer you. They also tell you that though you can become a Mexican citizen, you will not be able to vote in elections.

You do not have to surrender your natural citizenship to be granted full resident status in Mexico, nor to become a naturalized Mexican. Full resident status or naturalization entitles you to all rights and benefits of a Mexican National (live, work, claim state benefits and to pay taxes) but you cannot vote in Mexican elections. (http://www.mexperience.com/liveandwork/immigration.htm)

Now, let me ask you this: If web sites specializing in expatriation issues stated such-and-such, and all the expat sites stated the same non-contradictory information in exactly the same way, would you not have the tendency to accept it at face value?

I did.

And, not only did I accept at face value that though one can become a naturalized Mexican citizen, you cannot vote, I have also repeated that information in books and articles. Now, it seems, I was wrong.

Though humiliated to admit this, and admit it I must, I've been in error – you can vote in Mexico if you become a citizen.

Now, let's be clear that I came by my mistake honestly. This information, that you cannot vote once you become a naturalized Mexican citizen, can be found all over the Internet.

How this little piece of information started and spread like a virus through all the sites that specialize in expat issues, I can't say.

I found out the truth of the matter from an individual named Jennifer Rose. She is a lawyer and a naturalized Mexican citizen. She told me in a forum that I was self-absorbed for accepting the word of countless web sites disseminating the wrong information, which I trusted.

Jennifer Rose was correct and I was wrong. I verified the facts with a couple of law firms in Mexico that specialize in immigration issues.

I regret helping to perpetuate incorrect information about immigrating to Mexico.

However, I want to make the point that while my error was an honest one, Jennifer Rose's error was not.

As an attorney, Rose made a classic error in logic:

1) "If an American becomes a Mexican citizen, he/she can't vote in Mexican elections."

2) "You must be self-absorbed."

A beg-the-question argument if there ever was one.

More importantly, Her Majesty, Queen Jennifer, is but one example of expatriation that you rarely find out about until it is too late.

There are Americans who expatriate to Mexico, and frankly there are too many of them, who are created in the Jennifer Rose mold.

While I was patently incorrect in what I wrote on the forum about the voting rights of Americans who become naturalized Mexican citizens, does that make me self-absorbed?

No! It means that I was wrong and nothing else.


1.Google this sentence: "Mexican National (live, work, claim state benefits and to pay taxes) but you cannot vote in Mexican elections " to see the sites with this info…

2. Beg The Question Argument:

http://skepdic.com/begging.html
http://www.fallacyfiles.org/begquest.html