I can't believe this hasn't been diaried yet. Today's print edition of the Wall Street Journal has a story on the front page regarding denial of passports to Hispanic citizens in Texas. Details below the fold.
The State Department has been denying passports to US citizens with valid state issued birth certificates who were not delivered in a hospital. According to the story published, the problem seems to be most critical in Texas where delivery by midwives in the Hispanic community is common. It is reported that midwives were convicted of forging birth certificates for about 15000 children born in Mexico.
Evidently the burden of proof that a birth occurred in the US for any midwife delivery has been shifted to the citizen. The Bush State Department is making unilateral decisions on what they will accept as proof of citizenship. This situation should receive a lot of attention, as it's just another example of Bush Republican disregard for disadvantaged people.
Update: Here's a link to the story WSJ article