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Associated Press

Minnesota man, twice denied passport, is declared U.S. citizen

Esqueda was born in the U.S. but has been denied his request for passport
Mark Esqueda poses for a portrait with a photo of him as a U.S. Marine, in Heron Lake, Minn., on April 13, 2019.
Lynette Kalsnes | ACLU of Minnesota via AP file

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A Minnesota man and military veteran whose request for a passport was twice denied has been declared a U.S. citizen.

Attorneys say Mark Esqueda can now get a passport.

Esqueda sued Secretary of State Michael Pompeo in May. In a settlement reached Friday, the State Department acknowledges Esqueda is a U.S. citizen.

Earlier U.S. military veteran sues after twice being denied a passport

Esqueda's lawsuit says he was born in Texas in 1988 and is entitled to citizenship rights, including the right to travel freely across borders, but the State Department kept requiring information that was burdensome and unnecessary. Both of Esqueda's passport applications were made during President Barack Obama's administration.

Esqueda says in a statement that he will no longer have to miss out on family events and he hopes he never has to prove himself like that again.