By Julia O'Donoghue, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune
Immigrants, refugees and other foreign-born people -- including many who have immigrated legally and have been in the United States for years -- are being refused marriage licenses in Louisiana because they can't produce a birth certificate.
About six to eight couples each month have been turned down for a marriage license in Orleans Parish since the requirement went into effect in January. Jefferson Parish also has been rejecting marriage license applications to those without birth certificates, though Clerk of Court Jon Gegenheimer couldn't say how many couples had been affected.
The Louisiana Legislature voted in 2015 to overhaul the state's marriage license application process, adding more uniformity and stringent requirements for getting married legally. One of the new stipulations is that every foreign-born person getting married in Louisiana much show a birth certificate beforehand...
Read more at:
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/10/louisiana_immigrants_marriage.html
