'Awful': Outrage as legal US resident fined for not having 'papers' proving residency

Two immigrants were sitting in Rogers Park, Chicago, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrived and demanded their papers. What unfolded was detailed by the Chicago Tribune: Rueben Antonio Cruz, a 60-year-old legal U.S. resident, was ordered to stand up, shoved into an ICE vehicle, and interrogated as agents drove around the neighborhood.

Federal law requires legal residents and green card holders to carry their documentation at all times. While some states have "show me your papers" laws that allow local police to demand proof of residency, Illinois does not.

Cruz explained that his papers were at home. ICE agents pressed him for more information, asking about his parents and birthplace. Cruz responded that his parents had died.

Ultimately, agents verified his legal status in their database but still issued him a $130 fine for not having his documentation at the time.

Cruz’s companion, who is homeless and did not have any legal status or documents, was taken away by federal agents.

“America has never been a place where people need to ‘show one’s papers.’ Ticketing a lawful permanent resident — and forcing them to appear in court and pay a fine for not carrying their papers — is unnecessary and cruel,” said Ed Yohnka, communications director for the ACLU of Illinois.

Yohnka added, “It does not make our communities stronger or safer. It is simply part of the Trump Administration’s attempt to make life uncomfortable for all immigrants. It is just awful.”

Before Trump’s administration, the federal requirement for carrying documents was rarely enforced, but under his new quota of 3,000 daily arrests, enforcement has intensified.

Since early September, the Department of Homeland Security reports arresting and intending to deport 800 migrants in Chicago — far below the White House’s daily target. The administration has tried to discredit reports of quotas, but it remains unclear if such metrics are still in effect.

Read the full report here.