Former Mexican president Carlos Salinas de Gortari He received Spanish citizenship at the beginning of 2021, after applying to the Spanish government for a passport of that nation.
According to a Spanish newspaper Earththe former Mexican president received a passport through the procedure for Sephardi or their descendants and finished obtaining all the necessary documentation in 2019.
In statements to Spanish newspapers, about his reasons for seeking Spanish nationality, the former president pointed out that “they are genealogical, emotional and consistent with the modern vision of interrelationships shared by nations and nationalities; pride in our roots, multiple and diverse. It is, after all, the right of the Mexicans for the use of which, like any other right of the new generation, it is not necessary to prove any justification.
Family of Carlos Salinas de Gortariwho ruled Mexico from 1988 to 1994, is originally from Nuevo León, one of the states where the process of obtaining Spanish citizenship through the Sephardic method was most widely used.
Salinas de Gortari, who lived for years in the United Kingdom, lived through the outbreak of the Zapatista National Liberation Army (EZLN) and signed the Free Trade Agreement (known as OILhey T-MEC) with the United States and Canada.
How Spanish citizenship is granted to Sephardim
The Spanish government grants citizenship through Law 12/2015 regarding the granting of citizenship to Sephardim from Spain.
The rule allows the descendants of Jews expelled from Spain in 1492 to acquire citizenship, without having to renounce their previous citizenship and without requiring residency in Spain.
Who are the Sephardim?
Sephardim are descendants Jews who lived on the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) until 1492, and who are linked to Spanish culture by language and tradition. The word “Sefard” is a derivative of the Hebrew word “Sefarad” which in Spanish means Lejísimos.