How does an American citizen prove citizenship when stopped by the Arizona police?
Asked by
bea2345 (
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)
July 21st, 2014
There is an article in Slate, “Arizona’s checkpoint rebellion” which reports that the immigration checkpoints offend some people. Normally, I understand, Americans do not carry ID cards, as is mandatory in some countries, especially when there is no intention to cross international borders. How do they respond to these checkpoints?
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13 Answers
You have to sing the Star Spangled Banner and do the Pledge of Allegiance.
Seriously – that’s the flaw in these laws. We don’t have ways to prove citizenship, other than our drivers licenses (which in Georgia, I had to show my passport to receive).
So what do the police do? Look for dark skinned people who don’t speak English well. If that’s not profiling, I don’t know what is.
Ummmm, you’re driving your car. You have a drivers license.
Drivers License or State ID.
Tell them to fuck off and quit abrogating the Constitution.
Ask – instead of offering even the merest shred of proof of citizenship – if you’re being detained, and for what lawful purpose, and remind the bozos that “they work for you”, not the reverse.
Tell them that Jefferson said that “The tree of Liberty must be nourished from time to time with the blood of tyrants,” and it could be that he had the petite tyrants in mind. And then ask if you’re being detained.
And do it all with a smile and from behind a mostly-closed window and locked car doors.
First of all you don’t have to prove citizenship, let’s get the terminology right if we are going to discuss immigration laws and asking people for ID. You have to prove you are legal to be in America. That can be someone with a tourist Visa, working Visa, permanent resident card (green card) or citizen. Tourists don’t usually carry around their permission to be in America and neither do citizens. Maybe all 50 states and DC now require someone be legal in the country to get a Driver’s license, but it wasn’t the case years ago, I have no idea what is the case today.
Is your skin white? If so that’s proof enough.
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“Flex your rights:“http://www.flexyourrights.org/faqs/my-rights-at-checkpoints/ outlines the 4 different kinds of checkpoints and your rights at each. You are not required to comply with just about everything asked of you by citizen checkpoint officers.
I believe there actually has to be a crime committed in the area before the police can make you show ID.
No crime committed nearby, no need to show Id.
And yes, you can just ask if a crime has been committed and if not you may refuse to show Id.
Except of course when entering or leaving the USA.
By producing your driver’s license to the nice officer.
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