General Discussion

sinkingfeeling

(51,457 posts) Sun Sep 16, 2018, 01:40 PM Sep 2018

So now they're not recognizing Kansas birth certificates as valid for passports.

https://www.kctv5.com/news/kansas-woman-told-birth-certificate-wasn-t-enough-to-prove/article_144c19aa-b50f-11e8-94f5-6b921312a97a.html

FAIRWAY, KS (KCTV) — Born and raised in Kansas, Gwyneth Barbara didn’t expect this kind of hassle.

Barbara had been issued a U.S. passport before, but this time around, Barbara was told her birth certificate wasn’t good enough to prove her citizenship.

“It’s like they’re retroactively declaring that I was never a citizen,” Barbara said.

According to the federal website, there is no policy stating a birth certificate must come from a hospital or other official institution. To see all of the requirements click here.

15 replies

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Highlight:

So now they're not recognizing Kansas birth certificates as valid for passports. (Original Post) sinkingfeeling Sep 2018 OP

So how the heck can you claim citiizenship? SummerSnow Sep 2018 #1

This isn't even ICE. It's the State Department. WTF is going on???? hedda_foil Sep 2018 #2

Don't even try now with you original doc JCMach1 Sep 2018 #3

Fascism. They are going to try to take every Democrat's citizenship if we let them. Nt NutmegYankee Sep 2018 #6

But they WILL accept a family bible! NastyRiffraff Sep 2018 #4

Preferably one not printed in China dalton99a Sep 2018 #5

That's actually an old rule Algernon Moncrieff Sep 2018 #9

That's true, but NastyRiffraff Sep 2018 #10

Actually, Kansas isn't the culprit here. It's the feds. Algernon Moncrieff Sep 2018 #13

One can get copies of their own census records to prove residence. LakeSuperiorView Sep 2018 #7

Refer also to this thread Algernon Moncrieff Sep 2018 #8

the current administration is somewhat sceptical icaria Sep 2018 #11

OFFICIAL SEAL MUST BE EMBOSSED ON PAPERWORK ROB-ROX Sep 2018 #12

The person who controls voting, i.e. the Secretary of State in most (all?) states greymattermom Sep 2018 #14

The problem is home births sarah FAILIN Sep 2018 #15

SummerSnow

(12,608 posts)

1. So how the heck can you claim citiizenship?

Reply to sinkingfeeling (Original post)

Sun Sep 16, 2018, 01:44 PM

Sep 2018

So for the people, they are trying to stop voting, American born citizens cannot use a birth certificate? Bullshit all over

hedda_foil

(16,375 posts)

2. This isn't even ICE. It's the State Department. WTF is going on????

Reply to sinkingfeeling (Original post)

Sun Sep 16, 2018, 02:12 PM

Sep 2018

Not only was she born in Kansas, her parents were born in the US and her family on both sides has been here literally for centuries . There's a video interview with her at the link.

JCMach1

(27,559 posts)

3. Don't even try now with you original doc

Reply to hedda_foil (Reply #2)

Sun Sep 16, 2018, 02:17 PM

Sep 2018

Get a 'new' copy of your certificate from the State where you were born with all the document features.

End of public service announcement.

They are being dicks about this stuff now.

NutmegYankee

(16,199 posts)

6. Fascism. They are going to try to take every Democrat's citizenship if we let them. Nt

Reply to hedda_foil (Reply #2)

Sun Sep 16, 2018, 02:36 PM

Sep 2018

NastyRiffraff

(12,448 posts)

4. But they WILL accept a family bible!

Reply to sinkingfeeling (Original post)

Sun Sep 16, 2018, 02:18 PM

Sep 2018

Craziness abounds in Kansas.

dalton99a

(81,512 posts)

5. Preferably one not printed in China

Reply to NastyRiffraff (Reply #4)

Sun Sep 16, 2018, 02:26 PM

Sep 2018

Algernon Moncrieff

(5,790 posts)

9. That's actually an old rule

Reply to NastyRiffraff (Reply #4)

Sun Sep 16, 2018, 03:15 PM

Sep 2018

It goes back to people who were born on farms. Family bibles were often the means of recording the births. As I said in another thread, a great aunt had to get a birth certificate after the fact, and affidavits from the parents were required. Mid 1920s IIRC

NastyRiffraff

(12,448 posts)

10. That's true, but

Reply to Algernon Moncrieff (Reply #9)

Sun Sep 16, 2018, 03:20 PM

Sep 2018

now it seems Kansas accepts a family bible while rejecting a birth certificate. Something is wrong with that.

Algernon Moncrieff

(5,790 posts)

13. Actually, Kansas isn't the culprit here. It's the feds.

Reply to NastyRiffraff (Reply #10)

Sun Sep 16, 2018, 06:11 PM

Sep 2018

The feds are oddly persnickity. From the article:

Barbara was born in a farmhouse in the 1970s in Leavenworth County. She had a birth certificate. Her father went to the courthouse days after she was born to certify her birth -- raised seal and all.

The local passport agency accepted her documentation as satisfactory for her passport application. Days later, she received a letter from the federal division of the U.S. Passport Agency out of Houston, TX, telling her the application was denied and required further documentation.

“I have a birth certificate it was accepted before, why wouldn’t it be accepted again?” Barbara explained.

The letter stated, because her birth certificate was not issued at a institution or hospital, it was not considered proof enough of her citizenship.

The issue is the feds only want to recognize BCs from health departments and/or hospitals. The feds would assert that a court can't certify a live birth. Bottom line, a clerk is reading a rule very literally. I know we are all hypersensitive because of what is going on at the border, but this is B.A.U. at the State Department - they've always been this way in my experience.

As I said in the other thread on this topic - the fastest practical solution for this is to get the local congresscritter involved. This is the type of constituent problem they love to help solve.

LakeSuperiorView

(1,533 posts)

7. One can get copies of their own census records to prove residence.

Reply to sinkingfeeling (Original post)

Sun Sep 16, 2018, 02:40 PM

Sep 2018

The 70 year period does not apply to one's own records. It can be a way to deal with asshole GOP operatives.

Algernon Moncrieff

(5,790 posts)

8. Refer also to this thread

Reply to sinkingfeeling (Original post)

Sun Sep 16, 2018, 03:13 PM

Sep 2018

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100211140139

icaria

(97 posts)

11. the current administration is somewhat sceptical

Reply to sinkingfeeling (Original post)

Sun Sep 16, 2018, 04:18 PM

Sep 2018

when it comes to birth certificates. Mainly from Hawaii, but Kansas too.

ROB-ROX

(767 posts)

12. OFFICIAL SEAL MUST BE EMBOSSED ON PAPERWORK

Reply to sinkingfeeling (Original post)

Sun Sep 16, 2018, 05:23 PM

Sep 2018

I was assisting my grand son who wanted to get his drivers license. First a person must have a state I.D. which requires a birth certificate with a seal embossed on the paper. He had a copy without the embossed seal. We had the original with the embossed seal. Three weeks later after an appointment he took his written test. Then wait six weeks for the driving test. The documentation of the 21st century is CRAZY.......I am in not hurry to renew my passport at this time......CHEERS

greymattermom

(5,754 posts)

14. The person who controls voting, i.e. the Secretary of State in most (all?) states

Reply to sinkingfeeling (Original post)

Mon Sep 17, 2018, 06:40 AM

Sep 2018

should not be allowed to run for higher office, especially WHILE they are still Secretary of State. Maybe voting should be regulated by a bipartisan group.

sarah FAILIN

(2,857 posts)

15. The problem is home births

Reply to sinkingfeeling (Original post)

Mon Sep 17, 2018, 06:47 AM

Sep 2018

She will have to prove her parents citizenship now. Not saying it's right, but all these issues are with home births.

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