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Hearing Set In Texas Over Kids' Birth Certificates

Lawyers for immigrant families denied birth certificates for their U.S.-born children by Texas health officials who refuse to recognize as valid certain forms of identification will argue for a federal judge to intervene against the state.

A federal judge in Austin will hear their case Friday as they seek an emergency injunction. The lawyers say harm is being done to the families and their children who need birth certificates to enroll in school and ensure parental rights.

Dozens of families and children sued the Texas Department of State Health Services after local authorities refused various foreign identifications. The state agency wants the suit dismissed.

The parents, from Mexico and Central America, aren't U.S. citizens. The Constitution guarantees the right of citizenship to their children because they were U.S-born.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.