We only carry global entry card when we are traveling and have never needed it otherwise, though both H and I do possess such a card. I am not sure either of my kids possess global entry cards, though both have driver’s licenses (to the extent they are helpful).
Roughly 2/3 of the US population lives within 100 miles of the ocean or the boarders with Canada and Mexico.
“We demand your papers!” (to be said in your worst German accent)
While I’m sympathetic to the “I’m not telling” viewpoint, I always carry proof if traveling near Mexico or Canada. I do NOT want to go through a search of my vehicle again. Imagine Canadian customs emptying your RV, you’ll understand.
No. I usually have my drivers license but IDK if that proves my citizenship.
@OHMomof2 a DL won’t prove citizenship, I’m a green card holder and my DL looks like everyone else’s.
I also believe these searches could also happen in flyover country, a port can be considered port of entry, this would include people within 100 miles of an international airport.
As I understand it, a green card holder is required to have it on them while traveling. In Europe passports are checked everytime you check into a hotel and they are scanned on a machine that links with the police.
These Border Patrol agents were abiding by the law. The woman they caught was not.
But I AM, and my concept of America is not a “show me your papers” idea of citizenship. If you like that kind of country, fine. But I didn’t grow up with that, and don’t want to see it, or assent to it, now.
I hope I would have the presence of mind to refuse to prove my citizenship within the 50 states. When people in uniforms order me around, my reflex is to obey.
This seems to be true for most people. For instance, nobody under arrest should ever talk to the police without a lawyer. Yet everybody talks to the police. Even arrested lawyers who know better often talk to the police. The only exception is professional mobsters.
This would be my entire life then. I am not going to carry my passport on me every day of my life. How ridiculous. I am 25 driven miles away from downtown Windsor, Canada (I just google mapped it out of curiosity).
Meanwhile, in some/much/maybe-just-Ohio of the US, you can’t use a passport to buy a beer. IDK why any US citizen would ever carry one.
Really? That’s interesting. I recently went to a bar with two Germans who used their passports as ID and since I used to work for an Ontario hockey league, there were always tons of Canadians here who used passports to buy alcohol at games.
I edited to say “Ohio” - there are some other states I guess, but here it’s virtually impossible to use a passport to buy alcohol. I’ll look up why…
ETA: If an Ohio bar/market/etc accepts a state ID they have an affirmative defense if it’s fake. If they accept a passport they do so at their own risk, so most places do not.
https://www.thelantern.com/2003/05/out-of-towners-out-of-luck/
Not sure what other states might have similar policies.
Huh. Who would’ve guessed that a state with drive through alcohol stores would have such strict ID requirements.
I think you can only buy beer and maybe wine in drive throughs here…no hard alcohol 
Hmm, I thought I might be over 100 miles, but just mapped it and my house is 96.8 miles due west from the Atlantic Ocean by paved road. Undoubtedly sightly closer by the way the crow flies. I do have a Real ID license but typically only carry it if I’m driving, traveling, or going somewhere that I might be ID’d (liquor store). I’m sure if I were on a public bus, I’d have my license b/c I’d be carrying a wallet. But if dh were driving and I didn’t need my wallet, then no, I wouldn’t necessarily have my license if we were stopped.
It depends on the state that issues it. If it is REAL ID compliant, it means that the state has checked your right to be in the US. Mine has a gold star on it, and while it is not valid to cross a border it would show that I am legally in this country. Gold Star means the state has checked status. California just switched on Monday to issuing REAL ID compliant licenses, and I assume it will still issue the old licenses to non-documented residents.There was a brouhaha when California started issuing licenses to undocumented residents that those licenses clearly said that those holding these DLs were not valid for all purposes. Those licenses can’t be used to board a plane after the TSA deadline (I think it’s in 2020).
Some border states also issue enhanced DL that do allow border crossings (Washington State, VT, NY). Not every DL looks the same, even in the same state.
As I stated upthread, my Green card was stolen, it has already cost me $600 to be allowed a one time entry stamp on my passport, plus another $600 for my application for a new green card, plus wasted hotel fees and vacation day (due to the USCIS being closed for snow) It would be nice if I could keep my valuable green card at home and have some kind of temporary cheaper ID card to take with me to a concert or grocery shopping. These cards are too valuable to lose and If stolen my whole life is encoded on the chip in the card, which could eleventh the chance of identity theft.
My real ID state driver’s license does NOT have any gold star and looks very similar to my old DL, tho the old photo was MUCH nicer! It does say USA in the upper right hand corner of my old and new license. The new license does have more digits on the back side of the license, otherwise the old non real ID license is nearly identical to my new real ID license.
I think the Global Entry card would be a more reliable card to use, since states are mixed on whether they issue real ID licenses or not and what date they started issuing them.
@twoinanddone I live in Arkansas, the state has only being issuing enhanced driving licenses for few months, not many people have them yet, These enhanced DL have been even difficult for citizens to get, especially if the women are divorced and have no bills in their name to prove residency.