insisting she admit that Alvaro was born in Mexico, or she would go to jail. Scared and desperate, she falsely stated that he was born in Matamoros. When pressed on exactly where in Matamoros her son was born, she named a hospital that had not even been built at the time of his birth. She was then forced to sign an official document, although she does not know what it was. Following this disaster at the consulate, Alvaro and his mother were able to return to the U.S. But Natalia’s green card application was rejected and she was forced to remain in Mexico. Today, Alvaro owns a piece of land in South Texas and is building a house on it. But whether he and Natalia will ever be able to live together there legally is unclear. In 2018, Alvaro applied to renew his U.S. passport, in order to visit Natalia. His application was denied. Despite the trauma of his mother’s mistreatment and his separation from his wife, Alvaro retains his love of the United States. “One day they’ll release my passport,” he says. “I have faith in my country.” III. Denial and revocation of documentation of U.S. citizenship 135