Today, Congressmen Henry Cuellar, Ruben Hinojosa and Solomon P. Ortiz met with officials from the U.S. Department of State to discuss the Castelano v. Clinton settlement agreement, which addresses the unique nature of passport applications involving births to midwives along the Southern Texas border and revises the standards in which the State Department will review these passport applications.

“I’m pleased to see the State Department revise their passport standards and provide their employees with training on midwives along the border,” said Congressman Cuellar. “For too long, we’ve lacked a uniform standard to review these applications. Today’s meeting shows how committed the State Department is towards improving this process for our South Texas communities.”

Under the new standards, the State Department will handle passport applications involving midwives in a fair and timelier way, and senior-level employees will review the applications after being extensively trained on the circumstances unique to midwife delivery along the Southern border. The State Department believes this training will create a unified standard for their employees to fairly review midwife applications.

"We are pleased that we have reached a settlement with the plaintiffs in this case and look forward to working with the residents of the Texas border region, and their congressional representatives, to insure that all applicants receive timely service and correct decisions for their applications for passports and passport cards," said Brenda Sprague, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Passport Services U.S. Department of State.

“The new procedures should benefit my constituents who have endured increased scrutiny based on external factors during their application process,” Congressman Ortiz said. “I am confident this settlement will bring peace of mind to many of my constituents as we work to better serve them and I will continue to monitor the progress of the new procedures to ensure that the needs of our community are properly addressed.”

As a result of the settlement, the State Department will no longer send “filed without further action” letters or “abandoned” decisions to applicants, and applicants who are denied passports will have an additional 60 days to respond and defend their application. For individuals who previously applied for a U.S. passport between April 8, 2003 and August 14, 2009 they can now reapply without paying the $75 application fee.

“This is a positive development for so many citizens, especially those along the border, who have had to travel hundreds of miles to Houston for help with their passport applications.” said Congressman Hinojosa.  “I am committed to working together with my colleagues in Congress to establish an office in deep South Texas, preferably in Brownsville or McAllen, where our constituents can find the help and support they need to fulfill their requirements for a passport.  This is vitally important in our border communities where trade and commerce have been adversely impacted.”

To review the new State Department passport procedures please visit: http://travel.state.gov/passport/lawsuit/lawsuit_4525.html

 

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