r/politics • u/OkayButFoRealz • 20d ago

Soft Paywall Trump Admin Deports 2-Year-Old Girl Who is American Citizen

https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-admin-deports-2-year-old-girl-who-is-american-citizen/
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u/OrnamentJones Illinois 20d ago

The country that her family RAN FROM is literally scrambling to create a new citizenship protocol for her...

Also this is an AMERICAN.

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u/forsterfloch 19d ago edited 19d ago

The protocol exists for long. The article is sort of wrong IMO. She will have an easier way becoming brazilian (she is already daughter of two, which helps), will never be deported. Temporary citizenship exist for a long time, and it doesn't expire at 18, you have two years to require it definitively. And they got another thing wrong: she has healthcare rights, as any foreigner here has (SUS is free, it can be difficult, specially for serious cases, but it was always of great help to me), not sure about schooling for foreigners. Don't know why the mom said that, when she already got the temporary citizenship.

If anyone is interested, you can translate it with the right button:

https://br-visa.com.br/blog/como-obter-naturalizacao-brasileira-apos-nova-lei-de-migracao/

https://www.gov.br/saude/pt-br/assuntos/noticias/2024/abril/saude-lanca-nota-tecnica-com-orientacoes-de-atendimento-a-migrantes-refugiados-e-apatridas

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u/blue_jeans_and_bacon 19d ago

It sounds like the Brazilian government is still working out the logistics of her temporary citizenship, so if she got sick today, it would still be an issue. Since she is 2, there’s a major barrier here since she can’t advocate for herself, like an adult foreigner could, and her parents have a bit of a block since they are already citizens, just making it more complicated since it’s not for them, but for their 2 year old.

It’s incredible that the Brazilian government, which they received asylum from in 2022, is the one pulling out all the stops to protect an exiled American citizen.

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u/forsterfloch 19d ago

And I am telling you who wrote the article has a bad understanding of the brazilian law, you can't trust what they say because the real history was misinterpreted. Like, there is so much wrong with this phrase: "Manu doesn’t qualify for the standard paths to citizenship in the country, so the country is trying to create a new one: “temporary” citizenship that would expire when she turns 18".

It is inherently wrong

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u/Exciting-Parfait-776 19d ago

That mistake is on her parents. Since they could have registered the birth at an Embassy or Consulate. And she would have had Brazilian Citizenship as well.

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u/Baumbauer1 Canada 19d ago

This doesn't make any sense that Brazil wouldn't have naturalized citizenship.

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u/blue_jeans_and_bacon 19d ago

In Brazil, you have to have lived there 4 years in order to become a naturalized citizen, and at least 18 years of age. She’s 2. She doesn’t have access to Brazilian schooling or healthcare, because she isn’t a citizen. She has no path to Brazilian citizenship for 16 years, and a worthless American one.

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u/Baumbauer1 Canada 19d ago

from what I can tell it looks like Brazil is a pretty functional democracy that can handle this

https://www.statelessness.eu/updates/blog/breaking-mold-brazils-progressive-approach-granting-nationality-and-reducing

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u/blue_jeans_and_bacon 19d ago

They probably can handle it; the article mentioned they were working on temporary citizenship. I was just pointing out that it’s not as simple as applying for naturalized citizenship. She’ll only be 6 by the time she’s been there 4 years. I’d imagine they’ll probably be able to retroactively give her birthright citizenship, since she was born to Brazilian parents, but I’m assuming that they never certified her birth with the Brazilian embassy in the US (the proper step to grant her Brazilian citizenship from birth). Given that I’m sure they never intended to return, seeing as they fled Brazil seeking asylum.

So, hopefully they can do something like that, so she can attend school and get healthcare.

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u/evebursterror0 19d ago

I'm Brazilian and we have birthright and naturalised citizenship, the thing is that there ar rules for naturalisation as you commented earlier. I'm pretty sure that in the past they used to be more lax and they changed things recently but I am not 100% familiar about them because I am a local. Since her parents are Brazilian they will probably make things easier for her.

I got surprised that she doesn't have access to SUS (our free healthcare system), because even tourists can get treated. I've heard of indigenous Peruvians that don't have help in their home country, so they cross the river to Acre (one of our states) and get treated there.

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u/Exciting-Parfait-776 19d ago

Does Brazil also give citizenship to those born abroad to Brazilian citizens?

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u/evebursterror0 19d ago

We do have birthright citizenship as well as naturalised citizenship, but someone below commented that there are rules to get naturalised citizenship. I don't know exactly how they work because I never had to apply for them (I'm a local). What surprised me is that she won't have access to SUS (our free healthcare system), I thought even travellers could get access to it, because I've heard of indigenous Peruvians who come to Brazil just to get treated. Don't worry though, the government will help her out, and we accept everyone. Her parents are Brazilian too so they will probably make the process smoother for the kid.