New Report Shows Texas Lax on Birth Certificate Rules Enforcement

BROWNSVILLE, Texas (AP) — Texas has since 2008 said it won't accept Mexican identification cards when issuing birth certificates for children of people in the United States illegally.

But documents The Associated Press obtained via open records requests indicate it didn't increase enforcement until recently, amid mounting political pressure to crackdown on immigration.

That could validate complaints from immigrant parents suing in federal court. They say the state is denying "birthright" citizenship for their Texas-born children guaranteed under the 14th Amendment.

Texas says it doesn't take a Mexican ID known as the matricula consular for security, not political, reasons.

But annual surveys completed by local registrars show that officials in at least five cities and counties along the U.S.-Mexico border told the state they were routinely accepting them dating back to at least 2013.