AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – An attorney for Mexican women living in Texas illegally whose U.S.-born children were denied birth certificates says the state will make it easier for families under a lawsuit settlement.
A federal judge Monday accepted a deal struck by Texas and immigrant rights attorneys. The state had been accused of tightening birth certificates standards amid heightened national debate over immigration.
Attorney Efrin Olivares says Texas agreed to accept more forms of identification and documents from families in order obtain a birth certificate.
State health officials say the agreement will allow authorized persons to obtain birth certificates in a way that “maintains the security of birth records.”
Immigrant parents had claimed the state denied “birthright” U.S. citizenship for their Texas-born children guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution.
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