About 40 million Mexican nationals live outside that country. The vast majority — more than 37 million — live in the United States. A long-time movement, recently picking up steam, would have those Mexicans living abroad constitute a 33rd Mexican state, with all the “rights like any Mexican citizen has in any state.”
A columnist for the Fresno Bee, María G. Ortiz-Briones, today wonders if “the election of the first Mexican migrant senator to México’s federal legislature” might have brought the 33rd State idea closer to fruition.
Karina Ruiz, a migrant living in Arizona protected by DACA, was elected in June to represent Mexicans living abroad. She said, “We are going to be exploring it to see how [creating a new state] works legally.”
Mexico currently has 32 states and a federal district. These are divided into five electoral regions or constituencies. An additional state would constitute a sixth constituency, establishing that deputies and senators elected abroad would represent migrants.
we are going to be exploring this idea of forming a constituency abroad that involves Mexicans abroad. — Sen. – Elect Karina Ruiz
An activist working to make the 33rd State a reality, Leonel Flores, said, “That way they can legislate, they can grant resources, grant programs, grant any assistance, any legislation that any state in México has.”
For now, Sen.-Elect Ruiz says, even in the absence of an official 33rd state, she will represent the interests of 40 million Mexicans outside of México in the national legislature over the next six years. She plans to commute from Arizona to Mexico City while the legislature is in session.
As for the overall 33rd State movement, activists involved in it admit there are certain problems with the idea. As activist Ángel Noriega said, “It’s going to be a little complicated because we’re in another country.”
Technically, that’s true, but the clear desire of the Biden administration has been to eliminate the US as a sovereign country, so that may be less problematic than might be assumed.
For more, see the Fresno Bee.