MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - 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.

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.

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