Elon Musk overstayed his visa and Melania Trump worked before she had a work visa. Today, they would be in danger of being unceremoniously thrown out. “Sorry, you forgot to dot the i in question #78”.
I fully understand the value of following rules, filling out forms, having proper papers, and doing things correctly and honestly. People who do that should be honored and appreciated. But I don’t want to throw out every person who isn’t perfect, who worked a little early, overstayed their tourist visa, etc. It’s a far cry from having committed violent felonies or even DUI.
So we get asked if we are citizens. If we are, we don’t have to show papers. If we aren’t, we do have to show papers. ICE is supposed to figure this out with a verbal answer? IMO it’s asking too much of people who aren’t trained all that well. Would they believe Melania with her heavy accent? Would they just not care because she is European and pretty? It’s just too subjective, too dependent on the bias or non-bias of the individual agent, just far too murky to be trustworthy.