{"articles":[{"reaction_config":[{"text":"Yes","color":"#624960","stance":"yes"},{"text":"Maybe","color":"#edb723","stance":"maybe"},{"text":"No","color":"#4ac6ec","stance":"no"}],"id":8606,"title":"Should the Trump Administration Continue Denying Passports to Latino Citizens it Suspects of Fraud?","html_content":"\n

by Countable | 8.31.18

What’s the story?

\r\n

The U.S. State Department is denying passports to a growing number of Latino Americans with birth certificates showing they were born in the United States.
This includes a 40-year-old who says he was born in the U.S., delivered by a midwife in southern Texas, and served in the Army, Border Patrol, and state prison system.

\r\n

“I served my country. I fought for my country,” the man told the Washington Post, which broke the story.

\r\n

Why are the passports being denied? What’s the State Dept. saying?

The Trump administration alleges that between the 1950s and 1990s, midwives and some physicians in the south Texas region provided fraudulent birth certificates to babies who were actually born in Mexico.
The State Dept. said applicants “who have birth certificates filed by a midwife or other birth attendant suspected of having engaged in fraudulent activities, as well as applicants who have both a U.S. and foreign birth certificate, are asked to provide additional documentation establishing they were born in the United States.”

“Individuals who are unable to demonstrate that they were born in the United States are denied issuance of a passport,” the State Dept. added.

What are Democrats saying?

Congressional Democrats are calling for hearings into the policy, with Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) arguing:

“This represents an unacceptable targeting of people based on their ethnic heritage. It violates the constitution. It should be investigated by Congress in both chambers, and we should take action to stop it as soon as possible through legislation if necessary.”

“Americans are being held, targeted, and denied their rights because of the color of their skin,” tweeted Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez. “This is a disgrace to our democracy and a vicious assault on our community. We must make our voices heard. These families are counting on us.”

What do you think?

Do you support the State Department denying passports to citizens it suspects of fraud? Why or why not? Hit Take Action to tell your reps, then share your thoughts below.

—Josh Herman

(Photo Credit: iStock.com / Stefano Spicca)

","image_urls":{"large":"https://ul.countable.us/ul/q_auto/uploads/gZAMg8wZ/00c134/iStock-653111748.jpg","medium":"https://ul.countable.us/ul/q_auto/uploads/gZAMg8wZ/00c134/iStock-653111748.jpg","small":"https://ul.countable.us/ul/q_auto/uploads/gZAMg8wZ/00c134/iStock-653111748.jpg","thumb":"https://ul.countable.us/ul/q_auto/uploads/gZAMg8wZ/00c134/iStock-653111748.jpg","xsmall":"https://ul.countable.us/ul/q_auto/uploads/gZAMg8wZ/00c134/iStock-653111748.jpg"},"links":{"self":"https://www.countable.us/articles/8606-trump-administration-continue-denying-passports-latino-citizens-suspects-fraud","article_comments":"https://www.countable.us/api/articles/8606-trump-administration-continue-denying-passports-latino-citizens-suspects-fraud/comments"},"comment_count":234,"action_count":906,"cta_prompt":null,"cta_type":"reactions","share_count":19,"published_at":"2018-08-31T17:25:48.433Z","is_countable_article":true,"allow_advocacy":true,"profile_id":1,"signed":false,"signatures_count":null,"signatures_goal":100,"signable_progress":0,"video_url":null,"video_dimensions":null,"video_aspect_ratio":null}],"users":[{"name":"Tracy","vote_count":195,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/1850401805245658/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/1850401805245658/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/1850401805245658/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/1850401805245658/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/aW57ooXm/following","followers":"/api/users/aW57ooXm/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":10,"is_following":null,"influence_score":1370,"influence_level":30,"follower_count":9,"following_count":3,"position_count":107,"id":"aW57ooXm","partner_id":null},{"name":"SouthernGal","vote_count":1678,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/100002107479504/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/100002107479504/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/100002107479504/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/100002107479504/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/GWdDpzWr/following","followers":"/api/users/GWdDpzWr/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":"@ncb116","facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":"southerngal","issue_count":71,"is_following":null,"influence_score":14125,"influence_level":40,"follower_count":109,"following_count":28,"position_count":882,"id":"GWdDpzWr","partner_id":null},{"name":"Ramona","vote_count":209,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/10208748742418115/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/10208748742418115/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/10208748742418115/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/10208748742418115/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/4mKoy7Dm/following","followers":"/api/users/4mKoy7Dm/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":15,"is_following":null,"influence_score":150,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":5,"following_count":8,"position_count":34,"id":"4mKoy7Dm","partner_id":null},{"name":"Brenda","vote_count":88,"photos":{"large":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-with-hat.png","small":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-with-hat.png","tiny":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-with-hat.png"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/LWgDdLnZ/following","followers":"/api/users/LWgDdLnZ/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":49,"is_following":null,"influence_score":150,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":5,"following_count":5,"position_count":44,"id":"LWgDdLnZ","partner_id":null},{"name":"Sean","vote_count":1068,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/10211328676108732/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/10211328676108732/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/10211328676108732/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/10211328676108732/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/BWYj0GpZ/following","followers":"/api/users/BWYj0GpZ/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":131,"is_following":null,"influence_score":590,"influence_level":30,"follower_count":5,"following_count":6,"position_count":519,"id":"BWYj0GpZ","partner_id":null},{"name":"Michael","vote_count":124,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.countable.us/user/avatar/BWYwpv8m/large_bwywpv8m-1485747513.jpg","small":"https://assets.countable.us/user/avatar/BWYwpv8m/small_bwywpv8m-1485747513.jpg","tiny":"https://assets.countable.us/user/avatar/BWYwpv8m/tiny_bwywpv8m-1485747513.jpg"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/BWYwpv8m/following","followers":"/api/users/BWYwpv8m/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":"","youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":41,"is_following":null,"influence_score":90,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":7,"following_count":9,"position_count":24,"id":"BWYwpv8m","partner_id":null},{"name":"Carol","vote_count":227,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/10155703690452388/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/10155703690452388/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/10155703690452388/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/10155703690452388/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/kmwYEpjW/following","followers":"/api/users/kmwYEpjW/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":71,"is_following":null,"influence_score":220,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":7,"following_count":2,"position_count":83,"id":"kmwYEpjW","partner_id":null},{"name":"Cathy","vote_count":4,"photos":{"large":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-with-flags.png","small":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-with-flags.png","tiny":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-with-flags.png"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/BZe3knN9/following","followers":"/api/users/BZe3knN9/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":0,"is_following":null,"influence_score":0,"influence_level":0,"follower_count":0,"following_count":0,"position_count":0,"id":"BZe3knN9","partner_id":"de3bddb2-5b13-4104-8c75-a06fa2d96d3a"},{"name":"Robert j.","vote_count":626,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.countable.us/user/avatar/w9DMQj6W/large_w9dmqj6w-1526175752.jpg","small":"https://assets.countable.us/user/avatar/w9DMQj6W/small_w9dmqj6w-1526175752.jpg","tiny":"https://assets.countable.us/user/avatar/w9DMQj6W/tiny_w9dmqj6w-1526175752.jpg","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/10209043548701066/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/w9DMQj6W/following","followers":"/api/users/w9DMQj6W/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":10,"is_following":null,"influence_score":270,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":6,"following_count":3,"position_count":378,"id":"w9DMQj6W","partner_id":null},{"name":"Patty","vote_count":301,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/1406769772696159/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/1406769772696159/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/1406769772696159/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/1406769772696159/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/kW3b8E69/following","followers":"/api/users/kW3b8E69/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":17,"is_following":null,"influence_score":420,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":6,"following_count":3,"position_count":144,"id":"kW3b8E69","partner_id":null},{"name":"Abbi","vote_count":543,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/1473592825998588/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/1473592825998588/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/1473592825998588/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/1473592825998588/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/jZB1PPlW/following","followers":"/api/users/jZB1PPlW/followers"},"about_me":"I Basically believe that all people regardless of where they come from are entitled to inalienable rights and that a person's right to swing their fist ends at another persons nose. I believe true equality is giving everyone the tools they need to succeed if that means giving a disabled person more help than that's what's needed, if it means giving a low income person more help then so be it. This is why I could never vote for Trump or the lesser of two evils.","twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":"","youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":40,"is_following":null,"influence_score":2710,"influence_level":30,"follower_count":51,"following_count":7,"position_count":415,"id":"jZB1PPlW","partner_id":null},{"name":"Jodine","vote_count":40,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/1454647204558698/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/1454647204558698/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/1454647204558698/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/1454647204558698/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/NZaQ2AEZ/following","followers":"/api/users/NZaQ2AEZ/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":16,"is_following":null,"influence_score":150,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":5,"following_count":0,"position_count":5,"id":"NZaQ2AEZ","partner_id":null},{"name":"Surender","vote_count":44,"photos":{"large":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-with-hat.png","small":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-with-hat.png","tiny":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-with-hat.png"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/pWR86LNm/following","followers":"/api/users/pWR86LNm/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":0,"is_following":null,"influence_score":625,"influence_level":30,"follower_count":26,"following_count":0,"position_count":109,"id":"pWR86LNm","partner_id":null},{"name":"Cindy","vote_count":280,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/10211294790077987/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/10211294790077987/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/10211294790077987/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/10211294790077987/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/A9G8lNGW/following","followers":"/api/users/A9G8lNGW/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":7,"is_following":null,"influence_score":240,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":7,"following_count":3,"position_count":9,"id":"A9G8lNGW","partner_id":null},{"name":"burrkitty","vote_count":727,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.countable.us/user/avatar/8mrvqvpm/large_8mrvqvpm-1525278876.jpg","small":"https://assets.countable.us/user/avatar/8mrvqvpm/small_8mrvqvpm-1525278876.jpg","tiny":"https://assets.countable.us/user/avatar/8mrvqvpm/tiny_8mrvqvpm-1525278876.jpg","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/724966854372469/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/8mrvqvpm/following","followers":"/api/users/8mrvqvpm/followers"},"about_me":"I Don’t Know How To Explain To You That You Should Care About Other People. Our disagreement is not merely political, but a fundamental divide on what it means to live in a civilized society, how to be a good person, and why any of that matters. IRL I am a environmental hydrogeologist. I specialize in anthropogenic forcing in municipal and private groundwater. You can deny AFGCC until your well salts up or drys out. Then your calling me for help like I’m GD Batman. Believe me when I tell you, by then it’s already too late.","twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":"burrkitty","issue_count":139,"is_following":null,"influence_score":9800,"influence_level":40,"follower_count":280,"following_count":1,"position_count":605,"id":"8mrvqvpm","partner_id":null},{"name":"Carol","vote_count":82,"photos":{"large":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-with-flags.png","small":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-with-flags.png","tiny":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-with-flags.png"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/Amp08v6m/following","followers":"/api/users/Amp08v6m/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":0,"is_following":null,"influence_score":0,"influence_level":0,"follower_count":1,"following_count":2,"position_count":11,"id":"Amp08v6m","partner_id":"efa417af-11b4-4a08-9b10-fff245626400"},{"name":"Mary","vote_count":109,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/1440222912700421/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/1440222912700421/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/1440222912700421/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/1440222912700421/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/P9odBYoW/following","followers":"/api/users/P9odBYoW/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":0,"is_following":null,"influence_score":830,"influence_level":30,"follower_count":30,"following_count":0,"position_count":48,"id":"P9odBYoW","partner_id":"efa417af-11b4-4a08-9b10-fff245626400"},{"name":"Rae","vote_count":15,"photos":{"large":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-with-flags.png","small":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-with-flags.png","tiny":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-with-flags.png"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/kW3MeaOm/following","followers":"/api/users/kW3MeaOm/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":1,"is_following":null,"influence_score":60,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":2,"following_count":5,"position_count":0,"id":"kW3MeaOm","partner_id":"efa417af-11b4-4a08-9b10-fff245626400"},{"name":"Carl","vote_count":66,"photos":{"large":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-2.png","small":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-2.png","tiny":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-2.png"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/BmyL6oPZ/following","followers":"/api/users/BmyL6oPZ/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":142,"is_following":null,"influence_score":190,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":7,"following_count":13,"position_count":53,"id":"BmyL6oPZ","partner_id":null},{"name":"Maria elena","vote_count":180,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/10210981593600479/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/10210981593600479/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/10210981593600479/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/10210981593600479/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/BZeP8oNW/following","followers":"/api/users/BZeP8oNW/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":18,"is_following":null,"influence_score":280,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":6,"following_count":11,"position_count":142,"id":"BZeP8oNW","partner_id":null},{"name":"Gloria","vote_count":42,"photos":{"large":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-with-hat.png","small":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-with-hat.png","tiny":"https://countable-us.s3.amazonaws.com/user/avatar/default-with-hat.png"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/LWg7KkeW/following","followers":"/api/users/LWg7KkeW/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":2,"is_following":null,"influence_score":90,"influence_level":20,"follower_count":2,"following_count":1,"position_count":31,"id":"LWg7KkeW","partner_id":null},{"name":"Deepstate","vote_count":49,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.countable.us/user/avatar/W1nGkqv1/large_w1ngkqv1-1548215151.jpg","small":"https://assets.countable.us/user/avatar/W1nGkqv1/small_w1ngkqv1-1548215151.jpg","tiny":"https://assets.countable.us/user/avatar/W1nGkqv1/tiny_w1ngkqv1-1548215151.jpg"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/W1nGkqv1/following","followers":"/api/users/W1nGkqv1/followers"},"about_me":"","twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":"deepstate","issue_count":0,"is_following":null,"influence_score":990,"influence_level":30,"follower_count":41,"following_count":32,"position_count":35,"id":"W1nGkqv1","partner_id":null},{"name":"RomanYoung","vote_count":8,"photos":{"large":"https://assets.countable.us/user/avatar/mrvXN4nD/large_mrvxn4nd-1534360225.jpg","small":"https://assets.countable.us/user/avatar/mrvXN4nD/small_mrvxn4nd-1534360225.jpg","tiny":"https://assets.countable.us/user/avatar/mrvXN4nD/tiny_mrvxn4nd-1534360225.jpg"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/mrvXN4nD/following","followers":"/api/users/mrvXN4nD/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":"realRomanBrama","facebook_id":"RomanBrama","youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":"RomanBrama8@gmail.com","website":null,"slug":"romanyoung","issue_count":13,"is_following":null,"influence_score":30,"influence_level":10,"follower_count":2,"following_count":8,"position_count":6,"id":"mrvXN4nD","partner_id":null},{"name":"Kelvin","vote_count":8,"photos":{"large":"https://graph.facebook.com/2165074923711152/picture?width=150&height=150","small":"https://graph.facebook.com/2165074923711152/picture?width=75&height=75","tiny":"https://graph.facebook.com/2165074923711152/picture?width=20&height=20","facebook":"https://graph.facebook.com/2165074923711152/picture"},"links":{"following":"/api/users/mwojjAej/following","followers":"/api/users/mwojjAej/followers"},"about_me":null,"twitter_id":null,"facebook_id":null,"youtube_id":null,"google_plus_id":null,"website":null,"slug":null,"issue_count":19,"is_following":null,"influence_score":0,"influence_level":0,"follower_count":0,"following_count":7,"position_count":3,"id":"mwojjAej","partner_id":null}],"article_comment":{"flagged":false,"id":517304,"body":"The Trump administration’s denial of passport renewals to people of color or people with Hispanic surnames makes birtherism look like a joke. This is neo-Nazi crap of the highest order. Step up and fight it or step out. Who is next? ","parent_type":"Article","parent_id":8606,"created_at":"2018-08-31T23:10:48.287Z","liked":false,"like_count":23,"links":{"self":"https://www.countable.us/comments/517304","likers":"https://www.countable.us/api/v1/likers?likeable_id=517304&likeable_type=Comment"},"article_id":8606,"shareable_image_url":"https://n.countable.us/share-images/comments/517304.png","note":{},"note_text":false,"note_color":false,"user_id":"aW57ooXm","liker_ids":["GWdDpzWr","4mKoy7Dm","LWgDdLnZ","BWYj0GpZ","BWYwpv8m","kmwYEpjW","BZe3knN9","w9DMQj6W","kW3b8E69","jZB1PPlW","NZaQ2AEZ","pWR86LNm","A9G8lNGW","8mrvqvpm","Amp08v6m","P9odBYoW","kW3MeaOm","BmyL6oPZ","BZeP8oNW","LWg7KkeW","W1nGkqv1","mrvXN4nD","mwojjAej"]}}

Like Countable?

Comment Liked by 23 Users