"The state of Texas has agreed to expand the list of acceptable documentation parents who entered the country illegally may submit to obtain birth certificates for their US-born children, officials said Monday. The agreement settles a federal lawsuit that argued the lack of birth certificates made it more difficult for parents to enroll their citizen children in school, health programs, and other services.

The 62-plaintiff lawsuit, filed in May, was brought forth by parents from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

"Without birth certificates, our clients lived in constant fear of having their families torn apart and their American-born children deported. They also struggled to get access to basic education, health and child-care services," Efrén Olivares, who represents the parents as regional legal director of Texas Civil Rights Project's south Texas office, told The Los Angeles Times. "This settlement will be life-changing for immigrant communities across the state.""

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