Two Houston charities that require proof of citizenship or legal residency before registering families for holiday toy drives said Tuesday their intentions have been misunderstood.

Executive Assistant Fire Chief Rick Flanagan said people won’t be turned away from a Dec. 23 giveaway even if they can’t provide proof of their immigration status.

“They ask,” Flanagan said of the Outreach Program Inc., which distributes toys collected by the Houston Fire Department. “If (people) don’t have identification, they still get in. I wouldn’t have the program if they didn’t.”

And the Salvation Army, which asks for a Social Security number when registering children for its gift program, said it does so only to deter fraud.

Flanagan and Salvation Army spokesman Juan Alanis spoke up Tuesday after a story in the Chronicle noted that both groups require birth certificates, Social Security numbers or other documents indicating immigration status. They said it’s not their intent to discriminate.
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“It is not because we seek to discriminate. The Salvation Army is not in the business of verifying legal status,” he said. “We have to be good stewards. If we let people register without checking, that could be abused.”