A 19-year-old southern Minnesota man born without a birth certificate to parents who illegally emigrated from Mexico is suing the federal government for declaration of citizenship.

The recently filed lawsuit says Maycol Quetzecua of Austin has been denied a birth certificate, a Social Security number and a passport. His Minneapolis-based lawyer says Quetzecua wants to go to college with the help of financial aid.

The Star Tribune reports that birth records are commonly filed, even among Minnesota families who illegally immigrate. Quetzecua’s family opted not to register his birth in the U.S.

But his attorneys say Quetzecua’s grandparents registered his birth in Mexico three years after his birth.

A U.S. state department official declined to comment on the pending lawsuit.