The Undocumented American: Fundamentalist Parents Deprive Child of Proof of Birth in Texas?

"Texas-born teen Alecia Faith Pennington claims to be a U.S. citizen, but she can’t prove it. In a video posted to her YouTube account (see video, below), Pennington says that she has no birth certificate, no medical records, no school records, and no social security number. She's not an immigrant, but just like an undocumented Dreamer she’s struggling to function without legal status.

“I am now 19 years old, and I am unable to get a driver’s license, get a job, go to college, get on a plane, get a bank account or vote,” said Pennington, in the video. Her story exploded on the internet, grabbing international headlines. She's reportedly working as a nanny, one of the few jobs that she could find without legal status.

Alecia Pennington also says that she’s asked her parents, Lisa and James Pennington to write an affidavit, though they’ve refused to help her in the past. According to Addicting Info, Pennington’s parents are fundamentalist Christians. Her mother Lisa, apparently a strict Christian fundamentalist, is a mommy blogger whose website includes an entire section on parenting tips.

“Our children need us to discipline them,” Lisa writes in a post entitled “Are You a Mean Mom?” “They don’t know enough about how their body works or finances or responsibilities to make good decisions on their own. So we teach them. We create consequences. That’s all discipline is. You create consequences and gradually they learn [...].”

“I didn’t pick this situation for myself, I just have to deal with the consequences,” said Alecia, in her video. According to reports that appear to be corroborated by Lisa's blog, Alecia left home with the help of her grandparents. To battle the bureaucratic nightmare that her parents created, Alecia created Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube accounts entitled “Help Me Prove It.” " - Latin Times, Feb. 12, 2015.

[Later reports seem to indicate the father may be cooperating to provide documentation.]