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No, the US does not have a database of citizens or a national ID. There's been long-standing resistance to such a thing, as part of the general American distrus
by aaronbaugher 1y ago
No, the US does not have a database of citizens or a national ID. There's been long-standing resistance to such a thing, as part of the general American distrust of centralized government and what a tyrannical government could do with that information. That resistance has even been bipartisan, coming more from the left or right depending on who is in power. So there's no quick database check.
However, in practice, if you're a citizen, it's pretty easy to prove it. You'll be carrying forms of state-issued ID and you'll have a paper trail that makes it obvious. There's rarely much ambiguity over whether a particular person is here legally or illegally, as much as some might like to pretend there is.
- gtirloni 1y agoDidn't ICE jail a legal student just the other day and refused to release him? I forget where but even the state's governor got involved.
- deleted 1y ago[deleted]
- pseudalopex 1y agoMarcelo Gomes da Silva? His visa expired apparently.[1] [1] https://apnews.com/article/marcelo-gomes-ice-massachusetts-arrest-volleyball-1356302a723f6f5b0a95028754f7291e https://apnews.com/article/marcelo-gomes-ice-massachusetts-a...
- porridgeraisin 1y agoHmm. Makes sense. Then couldn't the government have tapped into one of those processes, making it clear to everyone that the people that are being deported are illegal (or not) and saved themselves all the court cases?
- pseudalopex 1y agoYes if their goal was to deport people who immigrated illegally. No because the goal is to remove due process. The next step is to deport citizens convicted of crimes.[1] Then prosecute political opponents.[2] [1] https://www.npr.org/2025/04/16/nx-s1-5366178/trump-deport-jail-u-s-citizens-homegrowns-el-salvador https://www.npr.org/2025/04/16/nx-s1-5366178/trump-deport-ja... [2] https://www.npr.org/2024/10/21/nx-s1-5134924/trump-election-2024-kamala-harris-elizabeth-cheney-threat-civil-liberties https://www.npr.org/2024/10/21/nx-s1-5134924/trump-election-...