Mexico Providing Birth Certificates to Illegal Immigrants in U.S.

In an effort to make it easier for illegal immigrants to benefit from the Obama administration’s executive amnesty, the Mexican government started issuing birth certificates at their consulates in the United States Thursday, according to a new report.

Prior to this week, the Associated Press reports, the Mexican government required its citizens to obtain birth certificates back in country, a task often accomplished by a friend or relative. Retrieving the certificate, however, served to extend the amount of time Mexicans had to wait for immigration benefits that required such documents.

According to the AP, the Mexican government is trying to help its citizens living illegally in the United States more easily apply for legal status and work permits — the money from which often returns to Mexico as remittences.

In 2013, the report notes, Mexican migrants sent $21.6 billion back to their relatives in Mexico.

The AP reports that about half of the estimated illegal immigrants in the U.S. are from Mexico, and it is estimated some 3 million Mexicans could be eligible for amnesty and work permits under the administration’s immigration actions.

Mexico’s move to make it easier for Mexican immigrants living illegally in the United States comes a day after the House approved a Department of Homeland Security funding package that would defund the administration’s executive amnesty.

The funding package is unlikely to pass the Senate in its current form, however, and the White House has vowed to veto a DHS funding bill that puts restrictions on the president’s immigration actions.