Private citizens have no legal standing to ask for ID. Ignore, call the police, or treat them like any other potentially threatening as possible accordingly.
CBP/ICE have had instances of detaining native-born citizens* and in a few cases, even deporting them before finding out those deportations were not only a mistake, but a gross violation of the citizen's rights:
One case of native-born citizens being detained happened to be acquaintances of a HS friend who were just returning from a honeymoon abroad and subjected to taunts about their suspected racial/ethnic/religious identity and how the recent election gave CBP agents carte blanche to treat them however they wished.
My son uses a state ID for flying. All states issue these for those who don’t have a driver’s license. He just needed a birth certificate, passport, ando a bill to show his address, then paid a small fee.
Many states do little or no checking of citizen status at voter registration, so any voter registration receipts from those states are not sufficient proof.
“Obviously, carrying her passport is not an option”
She should be able to get a passport card but in the meantime why is carrying her passport not an option? I could see it for a guy because it wouldn’t fit in his wallet but most women’s purses are plenty big enough for a passport.
Yes, obviously private citizens have no right to demand ID, we understand that. And ignore them as able. My point was simply if we are entering a spasm of authorized personnel demanding proof of citizenship. how does one do that when clearly you seem to be a target.
fyi, PA driver’s licenses and non-driving ID will not be considered ID for domestic flight ticketing, beginning in 2018. PA residents will need a passport card or passport to fly domestically. Because the state is run by morons.
Seems like she has plenty of reasons to go ahead and get some identification then. The good news is once she has it she can also use it for all the other things adults need to carry identification for, like ER visits, opening a bank account, cashing a check, checking into a hotel, etc etc. The stuff of daily life.
As another person who worked the recent election as a poll worker, one can only ask for ID if there’s a notation for such under a registered voter’s name. Otherwise, doing so is a violation of NYS/City poll worker policies.
Incidentally, I’ve never received a voter ID card since I started voting at 18.
I lived overseas for 13+ years and had to carry my passport the entire time. I never lost it but had copies of it at home in case I did. If I understand this thread correctly, it is not a govt official asking for the ID? In this case, I would not show any identification to them.
How can any of us prove our citizenship on the spot? I have a driver’s license, but that doesn’t necessarily prove citizenship. I could carry my birth certificate, but who really does that?
I have two daughters adopted as infants from a non-European country, so I completely understand the concern. My oldest has a driver’s license, and they didn’t ask for anything other than the usual stuff they ask anyone. My youngest has a state-issued ID card. For school they only asked the usual stuff, and when I check “US citizen” on forms no one has asked me to prove it. I have their Citizenship Certificates in the safe deposit box, but I’ve never had to show them to anyone.
I always beat the drum that parents of internationally-adopted children need to get those certificates. They are an expensive pain in the ass, but they are lasting proof of citizenship that never expires.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t answer the OP’s question about carrying something around but I don’t think that is necessary unless you are crossing the border. If it’s some ignorant hooligan on the street asking, you don’t have to show anyone anything.
A US citizen has a special right. Before 9/11, the border patrol agents at the San Diego-Tijuana station would let people reentering San Diego right away without asking any question if people told them they were US citizens. Passport was not required at that time.
Here’s info about the passport card. It costs extra beyond the cost of the passport and is really only supposed to be used to go between the US and Canada or Mexico. Our state and most states have ID cards that can be used for flying and most official purposes, which also require paperwork and fees. Sorry this person and so many others are being hassled and worse.
Our state also doesn’t send out voter registration cards.
Another vote for the passport card. Most states have now gone to the “real ID” card to be used for airline travel or proof of citizenship. I think just 3 or 5 states have yet to comply. I had to show my passport, my current ID, my SS card and my marriage license to obtain one. I wonder if this is available in your state for non drivers. I’d rather carry that or a passport card than my full passport.
I would simply advise her to carry the passport card and her social security card until things calm down. Sorry to hear she is being approached in this aggressive manner.
Just one more vote for passport card — I carry mine with me whenever I travel, use it with TSA rather than my state driver’s license. The actual passport stays at home in a safe place unless I am traveling abroad.
But the young woman should NOT be showing her ID to anyone who isn’t legally empowered to ask for it-- and definitely should NOT be reaching into her purse or wallet for anything when confronted by strangers on the street.
DO not carry your social security card - keep it at home at all times unless you need it for I-9 purposes for a new job. A social security card is the perfect tool for identity theft.
They still do, but it’s not automatic. Sometimes, you need to request one and even then, there may be issues.
Similarly, everyone who registers for Selective Service should theoretically have had a selective service card mailed to them within a matter of weeks.
I never received mine despite registering. Also, despite several subsequent requests, never received it though each time, the selective service folks confirmed my registration in their records.