Double Citizenship as a Double-Edged Sword: Young Return Migrants’ Code-Switching for Belonging in Mexico

Abstract

In the past two decades, a growing number of Mexican migrants have left the United States to return to Mexico. Few studies have focused on the (re)integration process of these return migrants, especially children and young adults. Using semi-structured interviews, my study addresses this gap by asking how young return migrants adapt in Mexico and negotiate belonging in their communities. I argue that Mexican-U.S. dual citizenship is significant in Mexico in both a legal and cultural sense and operates as a type of double-edged sword—one that, on the one hand, provides youth with opportunities for advancement, but on the other, impedes cultural belonging. Young return migrants navigate this contradiction by learning to code-switch across different life stages and thus, selectively hiding and highlighting their U.S. ties to gain belonging and better economic opportunities. This article illuminates the ways that citizenship is an acquired and learned process that significantly marks the lives of return migrants.