CINCINNATI — The certificate of U.S. citizenship is one of the most coveted documents in the world. One woman from Cincinnati has had one for decades, so she was shocked when she was told there wasn't any record of her being an American.
"I love this country, couldn't be anywhere else," said Olga Hawkins. "My miaden name was Olga Madryzcka."
Hawkins came to Cincinnati from Poland in 1961. She became a naturalized American citizen in 1967.
It's an honor Hawkins does not take for granted. She showed WCPO her naturalization papers, which included a picture of her as a teenager.
"My father always wanted to be in America," Hawkins said. "We ended up being here, we had to get through a lot of hardships, we had quotas to come here. I had to memorize many things that most Americans are not aware of."
Olga married an American veteran, Dave Hawkins. They started a real estate business in Cincinnati and because of this, Olga does a lot of driving. About two weeks ago, she went to renew her driver's license.
"I had a nightmare last night that they're going to send me back somewhere," Hawkins said. "They actually told me that I really am not a U.S. citizen, and pretty much I don't exist."
She told WCPO she's had a driver's license for decades and that this was the first time someone was questioning her citizenship.
"I was stunned, you know, I was stunned. I sat there at the license bureau, crying, and they said, 'We're so sorry, we cannot help you,'" said Hawkins.
WCPO contacted U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. A spokesperson said while the office "does not comment on individual immigration cases," they suggested Hawkins reach out to their office so she could get a certified copy of her naturalization certificate. USCIS indicated to WCPO that she is a U.S. citizen.
"I was advised that they think the computer might be the problem, maybe a new computer system that was involved," Hawkins said.
We also reached out to the state of Ohio. On Monday, a spokesperson told WCPO that said in part, "We looked into this and found that the DL renewal request was never denied by BMV. The BMV just had to wait for USCIS to return a response. The federal government has yet to digitize all of their naturalization records. When we are required by federal law to ping United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for a response, and they don’t have the documentation digitized, we have to wait for them to pull the individual’s file and send us a response. For most individuals, the ping goes out and there is an immediate electronic response. The requirement to present naturalization documents again is not a BMV rule. It is a federal REAL ID requirement for those seeking compliant credentials. If the individual was renewing a standard card we would not require her to present the naturalization documents again. The response from the federal government was received by the BMV on Dec. 1, and the credential is being processed. Her new credential will come in the mail. In the meantime, she will show as valid in our system to law enforcement."
WCPO received confirmation late Monday afternoon from Hawkins that she was granted a temporary driver's license and that she is expected to receive her permanent driver's license in the mail in the next 14-28 days.
