Texas birth certificate denials for U.S.-born kids get hearing

Lawyers for immigrant families denied birth certificates for their U.S.-born children by Texas health officials told a federal judge that if certain forms of foreign-issued identification cannot be accepted, a state agency must provide another option.

A federal judge heard Friday from immigrant rights lawyers seeking an emergency injunction, saying families are being harmed by the stricter standards. Lawyers for the state say there are other avenues besides the contested consular identifications to get birth certificates. The judge said he'd rule later.

Dozens of families sued the Texas Department of State Health Services after local authorities refused various foreign identifications. The agency wants the suit dismissed.

The parents, from Mexico and Central America, aren't U.S. citizens, but the Constitution guarantees the right of citizenship to their U.S.-born children.