The government of Puerto Rico is doing its part to combat identity theft, but it’s causing a real headache for many Puerto Ricans living in the mainland United States.

Beginning July 1, all birth certificates issued by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico will be declared invalid. Anyone needing proof of having been born on the island will have to apply for a new birth certificate.

The Puerto Rican legislature passed the measure in January to combat a scourge of identity theft, after the Department of Homeland Security warned that 40% of its fraudulent passport cases involved birth certificates issued in Puerto Rico.

 "We have a responsibility to protect the identity of our population," Luis Balzac, a spokesman for the Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration, told the New York Daily News.

Some Puerto Rican leaders are upset at the decision, saying that the measure makes life difficult for the million Puerto Ricans living in the mainland US. Others say the law casts doubt on the validity of any Puerto Rican documents. Three states (California, Ohio, and Nevada)  have already stopped accepting Puerto Rican birth certificates for driver’s licenses.

President Cesar Perales of civil rights group Latino Justice/PRLDEF said, “This is a major blunder.  Everyone will now begin questioning all documents from Puerto Rico."