Mexico to grant birth certificates at embassies, consulates

MEXICO CITY – Mexican embassies and consulates abroad will start issuing birth certificates for the country’s citizens who weren’t registered at the time of their birth in Mexico.

The foreign relations secretariat had previously been able to issue certified copies of existing birth certificates. But in some parts of rural Mexico, births occur outside hospitals or public registry offices are hard to get to, and hence some migrants lack any certificate.

The certificates would also allow migrants to apply for Mexican passports.

The department said Friday “this measure came as the Mexican government has announced several initiatives to protect its citizens in U.S. territory, in the face of the new immigration policies of Donald Trump, which have already created a great deal of concern in several parts of the country.”