The Washington Post wrote a report yesterday about how the Trump State Department has revoked citizenship to hispanics along the border even though they have birth certificates.
The problem is that there were midwives who issued some fraudulent birth certificates to children from the 1950s to the 1990s. When one of these children, now adults, shows up in the system with a birth certificate from these midwives, they are told they need to prove they are citizens by other means.
In the one case highlighted by the Washington Post, it was a man who was trying to get his passport renewed. He was asked to provide additional paperwork, but what he turned it was not enough. His citizenship was revoked. Another man in a similar situation was scheduled for deportation next year.
So, in response to this article, this idiot Democratic Congressman from Arizona decided to warn immigration officials that when Trump is long gone, they would not be safe if they participated in illegal deportations….or something:
If you are a US government official and you are deporting Americans be warned. When the worm turns you will not be safe because you were just following orders. You do not have to take part in illegal acts ordered by this President's administration. https://t.co/BLq48HRkbH
— Ruben Gallego (@RubenGallego) August 30, 2018
But the problem is, according to the State Department, this is nothing new. The Washington Post alleges that these denials are skyrocketing. But the State Department called the article a “political cheap shot”, saying that in actuality these type of denials are at a six-year low:
In a statement to Fox News on Thursday, a State Department spokesman blasted the Washington Post report, saying passport denials in these cases have actually declined under this administration. Both the George W. Bush and Barack Obama administrations reportedly denied passports to people delivered by midwives in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley, though the practice was hindered by a court challenge years ago.
“The facts don’t back up the Washington Post’s reporting. This is an irresponsible attempt to create division and stoke fear among American citizens while attempting to inflame tensions over immigration,” said Heather Nauert, a State Department spokeswoman. “Under the Trump Administration, domestic passport denials for so called ‘midwife cases’ are at a 6-year low. The reporting is a political cheap shot.”
If what the State Department says is true, then the Washington Post has done a real disservice to Democrats, as they are now accusing Trump of attacking minorities:
US citizens including #Veterans & law enforcement being jailed on suspicion of being Mexican, denied US passports. Trump escalating attacks on US Latinos & people of color:
— Luis V. Gutierrez (@RepGutierrez) August 30, 2018
WaPo: US denying passports to US citizens along border: https://t.co/DPHrVH17Mp #twill #heretostay pic.twitter.com/aZYhY2hT9f
Americans are being held, targeted, and denied their rights because of the color of their skin. 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. https://t.co/3o5eZmh1gm
— Tom Perez (@TomPerez) August 30, 2018
This administration’s anti-immigrant, nationalistic rhetoric and policies are now targeting U.S. citizens, in an attempt to deny them of the rights that our Constitution guarantees. This is wrong, shameless and betrays our most sacred American ideals. https://t.co/JUM8wq9Fw5
— Hispanic Caucus (@HispanicCaucus) August 30, 2018
https://twitter.com/RepMikeCapuano/status/1035226940259676160