Puerto Ricans
Prepare For New Law

On July 1, after 74 years, Lydia Torres’ Puerto Rican birth certificate will no longer be valid. That’s because of a new law designed to eliminate identity fraud. Torres said the law goes too far and is simply an attempt to make money.

In December, under pressure from the federal government, the Puerto Rican government made a law that will invalidate all Puerto Rican birth certificates issued before July 1, 2010. The law is a response to reportedly widespread fraud involving Puerto Rican birth certificates. The documents have allegedly been stored and transferred insecurely, allowing people to use them to illegally obtain passports and Social Security cards. After July 1, Puerto Rico will be issuing new, more secure birth certificates, for a fee of $5 each.

Last week, the state of Connecticut announced that after July 1, people born in Puerto Rico who want to get new drivers’ licenses or IDs, or have their licenses transferred from another state, will need to produce a new birth certificate.

That’s unnecessary, said Torres, who works for the La Voz Hispana newspaper in New Haven. If identity theft is a problem, it should be handled case-by-case, not by invalidating all birth certificates en masse, she said.

“If your wallet is stolen, the whole town of New Haven doesn’t need to to get new IDs,” she said.

Other Connecticut Puerto Ricans said the law is not a problem.

Torres, who has three adult children who will be affected by the new law, said she thinks there’s another reason behind the legislation. ​“Imagine how much money they’re going to make,” she said. Each certificate will cost $5.

Puerto Rico’s population is estimated at 4 million people. Hundreds of thousands more Puerto Ricans live in the rest of the United States.

Torres said she had to use her birth certificate last year to get insurance. She said she doesn’t foresee an immediate need for a birth certificate.

Bill Seymour, spokesman for the Connecticut DMV, explained how the new law came about and why the state will no longer be accepting Puerto Rican birth certificates. The U.S. government and the Department of Homeland Security found ​“serious fraud with Puerto Rican birth certificates,” Seymour said. The certificates have not been kept secure, he said. ​“There were just a lot of problems with them.”

As a result of the insecurity of the certificates, people born in Puerto Rico who would like to get a new driver’s license or identity card will need a new birth certificate after July 1, Seymour said. People can renew licenses without a birth certificate. They can also get a new license if they have a valid passport.

“It’s a reasonable thing to do,” said New Haven State Rep. Juan Candelaria of the new law. He was born in Puerto Rico and will need to apply for a new birth certificate, he said.

The fraud and identity theft in Puerto Rico got to a point where the law is necessary, Candelaria said. ​“I agree with the law.”

Candelaria said most Puerto Ricans with whom he’s spoken are not concerned about the law. There’s no rush to get a new birth certificate unless you need a passport or a new license, he said.

Staffers at Junta For Progressive Action, a local Latino advocacy agency, and Casa Otonal, a local Latino retirement home, said their Puerto Rican clients have been asking about the new law, but that it hasn’t been a problem so far. The difficulties may come after July 1, when people try to get a license or a passport and find their birth certificates are no longer accepted, said Cheila Serrano at Junta.

“It’s more of a nuisance than anything else,” said Frank Alvarado, of New Haven’s Spanish American Merchant Association. The fee isn’t exorbitant, Alvarado said. The only concern is that Puerto Rico’s bureaucracy may be overwhelmed by applications and create a backlog, he said.

Werner Oyanadel, the acting director of the state Latino and Puerto Rican Affairs Commission, said he sees more potential problems. He said he’s concerned about complications the law might cause for several types of people: children born in Puerto Rico who are in the care of the state of Connecticut, people born in Puerto Rico who are leaving prison and living in halfway houses, and people born in Puerto Rico who are applying for state assistance.

Oyanadel said the state needs to create procedures to make sure those three populations won’t be adversely affected by a sudden lack of a birth certificate. Most importantly, the state needs to spread accurate information about the law, to make sure Puerto Ricans in Connecticut understand what they need to do to get a new birth certificate, he said.

The state has set up a website with information about the new law.