They Say They Were Born in the U.S.A.

[JODO 2]

http://online.wsj.com/public/article_print...8533028907.html

August 11, 2008

WESLACO, Texas -- In the archives of local institutions, Juan Aranda's life is firmly rooted in this small south Texas town.

His birth certificate says he was delivered unto Weslaco 38 years ago, and church records say he was baptized here soon after. School files list him as a student in the local district from kindergarten through high school, and voter rolls show he votes for president here.

But to the U.S. State Department, all that black and white looks a lot like gray. It recently refused to issue Mr. Aranda a passport; the government isn't sure he's an American.

"I never imagined my U.S. citizenship would be questioned," says the manager at a water company. "I've lived here since the day I was born."

The problem is that Mr. Aranda was delivered by a midwife at a private home. Parteras, Spanish for midwives, have been part of life in Hidalgo and Cameron counties along the border with Mexico from the time of the Texas Republic and before. But in the early 1990s, dozens of midwives were convicted of forging U.S. birth certificates for about 15,000 children born in Mexico as far back as the 1960s.

As a result, the U.S. government no longer trusts that anyone in this region delivered by a midwife is an American citizen. In those cases, the government demands additional proof -- a demand that has applicants scouring school warehouses and church offices to document their pasts.

That has caused a panic in south Texas, where locals need a valid passport more than ever. A new law that goes into effect next year requires Americans to use a passport, rather than just a birth certificate or driver's license, to visit Mexico and Canada. The situation threatens to isolate thousands of people in the Rio Grande Valley who regularly travel back and forth to Mexico for work or family reasons.

"Usually a state-issued birth certificate is sufficient to establish U.S. nationality," says Michael Kirby, a senior official for consular affairs at the State Department. But, given the fraud committed by some south Texas midwives, "we want to be careful that we issue passports to everybody who is eligible and not to anyone who isn't," he says, acknowledging that thousands of passport applicants could be affected.

"These people aren't planning to tour Europe," counters Jaime Diez, an immigration attorney in nearby Brownsville. "Going back and forth to Mexico is a way of life here." Among his clients is a U.S. border-patrol agent. "These are people...who have passed security checks for government jobs," Mr. Diez says.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

"I've lived here since the day I was born."

Yeah, but where were you before that, Mr. Aranda, if that is your real name?

But in the early 1990s, dozens of midwives were convicted of forging U.S. birth certificates for about 15,000 children born in Mexico as far back as the 1960s.

As a result, the U.S. government no longer trusts that anyone in this region delivered by a midwife is an American citizen. In those cases, the government demands additional proof -- a demand that has applicants scouring school warehouses and church offices to document their pasts.

There was (maybe still is) a similar problem with birth certificates from certain years issued in Hudson County, New Jersey - due to organized forgeries. This is nothing new.

[Dr. A ♥ O 203]

Hi Jodo! *waves* I haven't seen you in a long time.

[Yiyi and Chris 0]

ohh... when I was born... lol... the best time of my life... jk...lol

Edited August 12, 2008 by Yiyi and Chris