For some caravan migrant moms, and babies, the future might be Mexico

The “It’s a boy” sign, along with the white-frosted cake and the presents and the colored balloons all hinted at the same thing — a baby shower.

And, soon enough last Monday, Christian pastors were surrounding a newborn, a boy wrapped in a blanket and his mother’s embrace, and placing their hands on both parents’ shoulders.

Then, together, in a Tijuana church, they all prayed for one of the youngest members of the Central American caravan.

Their original goal was to deliver an American child.

“I thought I would have my baby over there,” said Alvin’s mother, Erly Marsial, referring to the United States.

Instead, Alvin is Mexican. Like the United States, Canada, and most other countries in the Americas, Mexico grants automatic citizenship to people born on its soil.

But Mexican law goes a step further.

Because Alvin was born in Mexico, his Honduran parents can apply for Mexican residency. And, if they follow all the rules and meet all the requirements, they also can become Mexican citizens.

For now, they’re part of the group of migrants, most from Honduras, who in recent weeks have made their way to Tijuana in hopes of crossing the Mexico-U.S. border.