An immigrant 4 years old cannot apply for a REAL ID due to the different spelling of her name in the green card and birth certificate

Now everyone is trying to quickly get a REAL ID, which will be required to board the plane after October 1st. But one Long Island woman said the new REAL ID requirements are burdensome and inhumane. Her parents are Holocaust survivors and she does not have the necessary documents. She spent 4 years trying to get the paperwork done. The edition told in more detail CBS News.

For most, collecting the documents required for a new identity, such as a birth certificate, social security card, and passport, is easy.

But for Plainview's Laura Siegelman, it's impossible to find the original documents bearing her name.

“My father was in Auschwitz, and my mother managed to survive by moving from city to city,” Siegelman said.

Her parents were lucky enough to escape from Nazi Germany.

“This was my life. I was born there,” Sigelman says.

She was brought to the US in 1948 as a baby, given a green card, and then teachers Americanized her name.

“From Laja to Laura. After that, there was always Laura, and it is written in all my documents, ”said Siegelman.

The documents allowed her to work, vote, drive a car and become a US citizen. But now, after 11/XNUMX, the Department of Motor Vehicles says its original green card wasn't good enough.

Two years ago, federal officials found Siegelman's birth certificate but did not accept it in German. She paid for the translation, but said the officials simply stopped responding.

“My green card is out of date. Of course, I’m old too,” Siegelman says. “And on my birth certificate, the department said that it was in German and did not suit them.”

On the subject: If you need documents about your relatives in New York, you can now get them without leaving your home

The Department of Homeland Security said, "Those who are legally in the US can get a REAL ID, although they may need to update or replace certain documents."

Siegelman is not the only one who fled under dire circumstances and who is undocumented. Assemblyman Charles Lavigne is pushing for change.

“People who do not meet the standard approach to identifying and naming should receive documents. This is critical,” Lavigne said.

Victims can contact their elected officials. Laura Siegelman can apply for a new green card or hire a lawyer without any guarantee of success.

“It is very expensive and there is a possibility that they will not accept our documents and will not allow an appeal if they refuse us and do not return our money,” said Richard Siegelman.

“Suddenly I feel humiliated, illegitimate,” Laura added.

She asks to organize a personal appeal for Americans who cannot get documents out of the "ashes of war."

Travelers without a REAL ID can still use their passport to fly. Laura Siegelman never needed a passport.

“We have worked directly with Siegelman, including contacting federal authorities to obtain the federal documentation she needs to help her resolve this issue, as we do with any clients who have difficulty complying with the burdensome requirements of the federal REAL Act. ID,” Lavigne said.

After a lot of paperwork, Siegelman has a temporary ID, which will soon be replaced with a REAL ID.

“I was briefly erased from the citizenship of this country, and then recognized again,” said Laura.

She contacted Assemblyman Jake Blumenkrantz, which prompted him to meet with the DMV Commissioner.

“Be persistent with representatives of your government. Make sure they hear your story,” Blumenkrantz said.

Delays in the implementation of REAL ID are partly due to such cases. Siegelman says there needs to be some flexibility in a country of immigrants for law-abiding Americans fleeing the war.