citizenship
What documents can I carry to prove that I&#39;m a US citizen, other than my passport and birth certificate?
<p>I am a US citizen by birth and I live in the US. I was born and raised in Michigan, where I still live. I do not have status in any other country - no other citizenships, green cards, work or study visas, etc.</p>

<p>Let's say an ICE, CBP, or other law enforcement official stops me and takes me into custody as an illegal alien. Because I live near the border (the Canadian border), CBP officials are allowed to patrol the area; we are much less than 100 miles inland.</p>

<p>Once in custody, I would not be allowed to contact anyone who could provide documentation, nor would I be able to contact a lawyer who could talk to my family and get the appropriate documentation.</p>

<p>So what documentation can I carry on my person, every time I leave my house, to prove to the law enforcement officials that I am a US citizen and not an illegal immigrant?</p>

<p>I would prefer not to carry my passport because I don't want it to get lost or stolen, also it's too big to fit in my pocket and I don't want to always carry a bag, and apparently birth certificates aren't sufficient to prove citizenship (because children of diplomats, and people who have taken other citizenships and lost their US citizenship, will still have US birth certificates).</p>

<p>IANAL and the standard disclaimers apply.  That being said, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_ID_Act" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wikipedia indicates:</a> </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Section 202(c)(3) of the Real ID Act[29] requires the states to
  "verify, with the issuing agency, the issuance, validity, and
  completeness of each document" that is required to be presented by a
  driver's license applicant to prove their identity, birth date, legal
  status in the U.S., social security number and the address of their
  principal residence</p>
</blockquote>

<p>If you believe you are at higher than normal probability of a CBP stop, items you can carry to speed your way through a CBP stop:</p>

<ul>
<li>Correction: "<strong><em>Enhanced</em></strong>-ID": driver's license: <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/sos/0,4670,7-127-1627_8669_53333---,00.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Michigan</a></li>
<li><a href="https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/passports/apply-renew-passport/card.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">passport card</a> </li>
<li>Memorize a URL link to a photo of your passport or keep it in your phone</li>
</ul>

<p>Being prepared is preferable to being detained unnecessarily for a long period of time.  Given today's political climate, I hope it is apparent that being polite (even when an official is not following procedure) will avoid headaches.  Storing your passport and other relevant documents in a place where your family / friends / lawyer can retrieve the document would be helpful in <a href="https://www.npr.org/2019/07/25/745417268/u-s-citizen-detained-for-weeks-nearly-deported-by-immigration-officials" rel="nofollow noreferrer">case of extended detention of US citizens</a>.</p>

<p>I like the passport card because it does not provide address information and can be attached to my smartphone.  With this and a driver's license in my wallet, I do not expect to be detained for any appreciable length of time.</p>

<p>IMHO, I think it is unwise to rely on the contours that <a href="https://www.aclu.org/know-your-rights/border-zone/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">ACLU indicates:</a></p>

<blockquote>
  <p><strong>If an agent asks you for documents, what you need to provide differs depending on your immigration status.</strong> </p>
  
  <p>If an agent asks you for documents, what you need to provide differs
  depending on your immigration status. U.S. citizens do not have to
  carry proof of citizenship on their person if they are in the United
  States.  If you have valid immigration documents and are over the age
  of 18, the law does require you to carry those documents on you. If
  you are asked by an immigration agent to produce them, it is advisable
  to show the documents to the agent or you risk being arrested.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>I am interpreting the requirement to carry valid immigration document to be green-cards, visas and the like. </p>

<p>Per U.S. law you are entitled to counsel with an attorney and the government must provide you one if you cannot afford one.   Whatever you do, do not say a thing until you are provided with an attorney.</p>

<p>Additionally, the U.S. is a signatory to treaties which require that the appropriate foreign mission must be contacted within 72 hours of detention of a foreign national by law enforcement (even if they are countries the U.S. doesn't have relationships with, like North Korea or Iran, those nations still have a "Protecting Power" in the United States to act in their stead.  Protecting power is a any nation acting in the interests of a requesting nation to a nation that the requesting nation does not have formal diplomatic relations with.   In the case of those two powers, North Korea has no protecting power in the United States, however Sweden acts as the protecting power for the U.S. in North Korea.   For Iran, Pakistan represents them in the United States).  Suffice to say, if they think you're a foreign person, they have three days to figure out which country and call there consulate or else it's going to be an international incident (if they catch you in Michigan they'll likely call the Canadians just to be sure, so they'll know.).  The foreign mission will be permitted to do a wellness check and discuss legal matters with you and this is treated as privileged and confidential as if you were meeting with an attorney (don't be surprised if they are an attorney in U.S. Law as well.  Part of the Embassy's role is to know the laws of the host country in case one of their citizens gets into trouble.).</p>

<p>As to what you carry, any form of State or Federal Government issued I.D. with a picture as part of the I.D. will suffice (this is why your passport is valid but your birth certificate and Social Security card are not, as they are issued without picture I.D. and usually you're quite young on receipt).  States issue I.D. cards similar to drivers licenses for non-driving persons with all elements of the license required for identification purposes and they are valid in all U.S. territorial holdings (not just the 50 states, but U.S. territories as well) and typically are identifiable in both Canada and Mexico.   In addition to the passport and licenses, if you are a member of the U.S. military or civilian D.O.D. employee or are a dependent family member of either, you should be issued a Military ID card, which is also valid.</p>

<p><em>Also for all driver's liscenses, a valid learner's permit will also suffice for ID purposes.</em></p>

<p>This may not be done in ideal time near the U.S.-Mexico border as timely but this due to the ongoing migrant crisis.  Canada is much more quiet by illegal border crossing numbers, though it gets it's show.</p>

<p>As a final fun fact:  The U.S.-Canada border is the longest border between two countries anywhere in the world.  So if you have the misfortune to be a hundred miles inland from the border and they think you crossed it, you have worse luck then a shark attack victim.</p>
