Can a private citizen ask to see documentation?
Apr 25th 2002, 12:41 am
#1
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 102
Can a private citizen ask to see documentation?
Just curious, can a private citizen ask to see immigration documentation?
I was watching "The Man Show" on Comedy Central the other day and they had a bit on a kid who was going around buying "adult" items (cigarettes, alcohol, pornography etc.) using a fake ID. In one part of that he enters a store and asks for a 6-pack. The south Asian store owner asks for an ID and the kid says "Hey, I don't ask to see your Green Card, pal..."
Made me wonder who actually *can* check my immigration papers. Is there an official (INS/FBI) ruling on this?
I was watching "The Man Show" on Comedy Central the other day and they had a bit on a kid who was going around buying "adult" items (cigarettes, alcohol, pornography etc.) using a fake ID. In one part of that he enters a store and asks for a 6-pack. The south Asian store owner asks for an ID and the kid says "Hey, I don't ask to see your Green Card, pal..."
Made me wonder who actually *can* check my immigration papers. Is there an official (INS/FBI) ruling on this?
Apr 25th 2002, 11:40 am
#2
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Posts: n/a
Re: Can a private citizen ask to see documentation?
An INS official can ask to see your immigration documentation. A private individual
cannot and the police usually cannot but if they have some agreement with INS
enforcement they may be able to. Since US citizens don't have to carry proof of
citizenship, there's not a lot police or even INS can do if you say you are a US
citizen but you aren't ... of course that's a felony which has an automatic
deportation!
BTW, the list of "registration documents" is maintained in law. It includes, amongst
other things, an I-551 stamp or card (a.k.a Green Card), an EAD, a valid I-94 with
passport, etc. Canadians don't usually get any of these so they're kind of exempt
from it all too. There was a big fuss a couple of years ago when INS enforcement
decided that a bunch of H-1Bers were working outside the scope of their petition. INS
dropped the case pretty quickly for many reasons but one of them was that they were
punishing the Indians for not having their documentation with them but weren't even
questioning the Canadians!
Andy.
--
I'm not really here - it's just your warped imagination. "icantthink"
<[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Just curious, can a private citizen ask to see immigration documentation?
>
> I was watching "The Man Show" on Comedy Central the other day and they had a bit on
> a kid who was going around buying "adult" items (cigarettes, alcohol, pornography
> etc.) using a fake ID. In one part of that he enters a store and asks for a 6-pack.
> The south Asian store owner asks for an ID and the kid says "Hey, I don't ask to
> see your Green Card, pal..."
>
> Made me wonder who actually *can* check my immigration papers. Is there an official
> (INS/FBI) ruling on this?
>
>
>
> --
> Posted via http://britishexpats.com
cannot and the police usually cannot but if they have some agreement with INS
enforcement they may be able to. Since US citizens don't have to carry proof of
citizenship, there's not a lot police or even INS can do if you say you are a US
citizen but you aren't ... of course that's a felony which has an automatic
deportation!
BTW, the list of "registration documents" is maintained in law. It includes, amongst
other things, an I-551 stamp or card (a.k.a Green Card), an EAD, a valid I-94 with
passport, etc. Canadians don't usually get any of these so they're kind of exempt
from it all too. There was a big fuss a couple of years ago when INS enforcement
decided that a bunch of H-1Bers were working outside the scope of their petition. INS
dropped the case pretty quickly for many reasons but one of them was that they were
punishing the Indians for not having their documentation with them but weren't even
questioning the Canadians!
Andy.
--
I'm not really here - it's just your warped imagination. "icantthink"
<[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> Just curious, can a private citizen ask to see immigration documentation?
>
> I was watching "The Man Show" on Comedy Central the other day and they had a bit on
> a kid who was going around buying "adult" items (cigarettes, alcohol, pornography
> etc.) using a fake ID. In one part of that he enters a store and asks for a 6-pack.
> The south Asian store owner asks for an ID and the kid says "Hey, I don't ask to
> see your Green Card, pal..."
>
> Made me wonder who actually *can* check my immigration papers. Is there an official
> (INS/FBI) ruling on this?
>
>
>
> --
> Posted via http://britishexpats.com
