The request for nationality or legal residency in Spain by Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller, wife of former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador, has generated controversy both in Mexico and in international media. The controversy arose after her recent visit to the Spanish Consulate in Mexico City, where, according to initial information, she allegedly requested Spanish nationality. However, ABC Noticias revealed that the academic only requested information to process legal residency for academic reasons, and that the procedure has not yet been formally initiated, according to sources from the Spanish Embassy quoted by the media.
Beatriz Gutiérrez Müller has Spanish ancestry, with family roots in Castilla and Catalonia. If legal residency is granted, she would move to Spain starting next September, and her academic activities would include travel to various countries in the European Union.
In Spain, nationality can be obtained in various ways: residency, option, naturalization, or links with the Sephardic community, among others. The National Police and the National Intelligence Center (CNI) can issue reserved reports that affect the assessment of the application. The Council of Ministers has the final word on naturalization, while the National Court can only intervene if a manifest illegality is demonstrated. The king of Spain formally sanctions the decision without the capacity to alter it. And in certain cases, like the one currently drawing public attention, that decision may be closer to a diplomatic signal than a bureaucratic procedure.
In summary, the Ministry of Justice can deny the request if the legal requirements are not met. All applications are evaluated by the General Directorate of Legal Security and Public Faith, an agency dependent on the Ministry of Justice, which can deny the process if legal residency, good conduct, or social integration is not proven, among other factors.
The case has drawn particular attention because Gutiérrez Müller was one of the main promoters, during López Obrador's presidency, of the demand that the Spanish Crown apologize to Mexico for the Conquest. Spain's refusal led to a "pause" in diplomatic relations declared by the then-president in 2022, which is still in effect under the current government of Claudia Sheinbaum. Nationality, ultimately, is not only granted based on compliance with the law but also depending on political opportunity.
