VIA CBS4

DENVER New immigration laws in Colorado have made it more difficult for some people to prove their identity and get a driver's license. The Colorado Department of Revenue has interpreted the new law to mean that passports are not an acceptable as a form of identification by themselves when issuing driver's licenses in the state.

The new rules, in combination with old laws about birth certificates have created challenges for people like Anne Sample who lost her wallet.

Because her birth certificate was issued by a city, and not a state or county, the workers would not accept that as a form of identification.

Sample is now waiting for a new birth certificate from the state and county where she was born.

Others have been turned away when using a passport as a form of identification at the DMV.

"The reality is that is a premiere document used by the federal government to alert everyone to the fact that you are who you are," said Maureen Farrell of the Colorado Center on Law and Policy.

"It came to our attention that passports were issued in names other than an individual's full legal name," said Michael Cooke, director of the Colorado Department of Revenue. "The law requires that I prove lawful presence and use full legal names and if a passport doesn't get there, I'm going to have to ask for something else."

Click here for a list of the driver's license identification requirements in Colorado.