By Ed Morales
Puerto Rico's government wants its people to believe that they are the cause of an identity fraud crisis, and to correct the problem it is treating them like second-class citizens.
Last December, Puerto Rico's governor, Luis Fortuno, signed a law that invalidates all copies of certified Puerto Rican birth certificates. As a result, everyone born in Puerto Rico before this coming July will have to request a new copy. The reason: It's a matter of U.S. national security.
Or at least that's what the State Department of Puerto Rico would have their own people believe.
In a press release, Puerto Rico's Secretary of State Kenneth McClintock-Hernandez asserted that there was an identity fraud crisis in the United States that was set off by thousands of copies of Puerto Rican birth certificates that are just floating around. McClintock went on to say that 40 percent of all identity theft cases in the United States are caused by fraudulent use of Puerto Rican birth certificates.
In fact, it was reported by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Diplomatic Security that Puerto Rican birth certificates have been used in about 40 percent of passport fraud incidents it has recently investigated. Not 40 percent of all U.S. identity fraud cases.
And while it is true that there is a problem involving the use of Puerto Rican birth certificates, this hardly constitutes a threat large enough to invalidate the identity proof of an entire island of 4 million U.S. citizens. Plus, the minimum cost of $5 per birth certificate imposed by the government comes off as a desperate move to raise money for an economy racked by high unemployment and recession.
The law is an unnecessary burden on Puerto Ricans on the island, as well as those born there and currently living in the United States. Would a similar-sized U.S. state, such as Kentucky (population also 4 million), be treated this way? A recommitment to immigration reform would do a lot more to combat the problem of identity fraud than punishing millions of American citizens.
Puerto Ricans don't deserve being a scapegoat for a much larger problem.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Ed Morales is the author of "Living in Spanglish." He wrote this for Progressive Media Project, a source of liberal commentary on domestic and international issues; it is affiliated with The Progressive magazine.
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Thank You! Thank You! THANK YOU! I feel like no one is saying anything about this... or that they're just accepting it without digging deeper. I, for one, have been frazzled at the onset of this and am annoyed at the undue burden it puts on Puerto Ricans born on the island. I certainly feel this this is motivated by financial gain. So once again, Gracias!
ReplyDeleteReally? Financial Gain? at $5.00 ea. Even if every Puertorican Requests his Certificate (Which they won't) will only raise 20 million dollars. Processing the cercificates alone will consume more than this. I think
ReplyDeleteTHE INSTITUTE FOR LATINO POLICY REPORTS THAT ALREADY OHIO DOES NOT ACCEPT PR BIRTH CERTIFICATES ISSUED BEFORE JULY IST., AND THAT MOST PUERTO RICANS IN THE STATE DO NOT EVEN KNOW OF THE CHANGE.
ReplyDelete