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Ice on Immigration: Puerto Rican birth certificates invalidated
By L. Patricia Ice, Featured
Columnist
Question: I was born in Puerto Rico ad I am a U.S. citizen. I
have heard that my Puerto Rican birth certificate is going to be invalid
soon. Is this true?
Answer:
Yes. In December 2009,
the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico passed legislation stating that as of
July 1, 2010, all Puerto Rican birth certificates issued before that
date would be null and void. According to Puerto Rican officials, many
Commonwealth birth certificates have been used to commit widespread
fraudulent acts, including immigration fraud. The U.S. Department of
State reported that 40% of passport fraud cases arise from the use of
Puerto Rican birth certificates. Therefore, Puerto Rico will begin to
issue new, more secure birth certificates on July 1. The "Act to
Prohibit the Retention, Keeping on Record, and Keeping Under Custody of
Certified Copies of Birth Certificates" also prevents any public or
private entity, except for the subject of the birth certificate or
designated family members, from keeping an original certified Puerto
Rican birth certificate on file. It appears that this prohibition went
into effect on February 1, 2010, but it is not clear. An entity or
agency can photocopy a certified birth certificate, or keep it in
digital or electronic form, but the agency cannot retain the certified
paper copy of the birth certificate. If an entity keeps a certified
copy of a Puerto Rican birth certificate, it can be held liable for a
criminal misdemeanor or for civil damages. To find out more, you should
contact the Puerto Rican Health Department.
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