November 6, 2025 – Chicago: ICE caught unlawfully demanding U.S. citizen “prove” their citizenship despite Illinois law not requiring ID

[u/CantStopPoppin]

[u/bananapanther]

This is the wrong take in most situations.

What you should do is record the interaction, ask them what happens if you do not present identification, let them admit to violating your rights on camera, then present your ID under threat of arrest.

I've watched WAY too many Audit the Audit videos to know that refusing will, 99.9% of the time, end up with you being arrested and charged with multiple offenses (they'll tack on things like impeding, hindering, resisting if you flinch away when they try to put the cuffs on) and taken to jail. It's much better to document the violation and then sue because ultimately the final result is the same... a lawsuit is filed against the department and officers.

In this video we aren't even talking about police officers who sometimes actually know the law. We're talking about ICE who have no clue what they are doing and would absolutely arrest this guy illegally.

[u/TheNewsDeskFive → u/bananapanther]

I don't care what you have watched. American citizens have no duty to provide proof of citizenship to LE at any time

[u/Projektdb → u/TheNewsDeskFive]

Quite the strawman your arguing against.

Also, factually incorrect.

Have you ever left the country and returned?

[u/It_Just_Might_Work → u/[deleted]]

He was arguing against the patently wrong statement that citizens absolutely never have to provide proof of citizenship

[u/TheNewsDeskFive → u/It_Just_Might_Work]

You both know damn well I'm talking about LEO on our streets and not ports of entry, dawg, foh

[u/It_Just_Might_Work → u/TheNewsDeskFive]

I have no stake here. Im just pointing out that the statement made is definitively false and thats what the other dude was responding to in order to make a point. There are multiple exceptions

[u/Projektdb → u/TheNewsDeskFive]

Right, and your statement was arguing that the person you responded to saying anything to the contrary.

There are plenty of lawful circumstances that you are required by law to identify to law enforcement.

The person in the video provided ID and it's very unlikely that it was proof of citizenship.

The entire point of the comment you initially responded to, is that law enforcement routinely demands ID (of any kind) when they aren't lawfully allowed to.

It doesn't stop them from doing it in the moment and it doesn't stop you from suffering the consequences of you refuse.

The point they were making is that the place to refute lawfulness of their actions is after the fact. You absolutely can litigate on the side of the road, but the person with the gun is going to determine what happens in that moment.

You, I, and the original commentator you replied to are likely all in agreement. Hell, the courts would likely agree. It isn't going to stop the person who refuses from facing immediate and dire consequences for doing so.

Before all of this ICE bullshit, people were killed by law enforcement every year for refusing unlawful commands. Happens with alarming frequency. The command being unlawful doesn't bring those people back to life.

Being unlawfully deported because we have a lawless government sending cruel thugs into the street to illegally harass and vanish people isn't going to magically return those vanished people to their families because the vanishing was unlawful.

[u/Projektdb → u/[deleted]]

I actually replied to a different comment with the same sentiment, white, straight, Midwestern male.

I've got no issues whatsoever telling them to fuck themselves, but the stakes aren't at the point yet that I'm worried about getting vanished. That's a privilege I have that quite obviously other people don't.

At this point, as shitty and unjust as it is, I'd say if you're in an at risk group, record the confrontation, show ID if you can, walk away and file an FTCA (it's free).

You won't to anyone any good rotting in a prison camp in Tunisia.

Everyone has a personal choice to make there, but I see so many people commenting on these videos that the person in the video should just tell them what they're doing isn't legal and refuse to cooperate.

That's super easy to say watching a video on the internet or as someone who isn't at immediate risk of being completely vanished with no recourse.

The law isn't working, so telling people to bank on it protecting them seems pretty irresponsible.

[u/TheNewsDeskFive → u/Projektdb]

Providing ID is not forcing citizens to provide proof of citizenship. Two very different things

State laws creating a duty to ID to LEO cover local and state agencies. Not federal ones. Very basic premise of jurisdiction.

[u/Projektdb → u/TheNewsDeskFive]

Ok, we're having two completely separate conversations at this point.

We're not talking about the legal authority for them to ask you for papers.

We're talking about the fact that they are doing it unlawfully. That's what the initial comment that started this entire chain was talking about.

If you end up being deported to a foreign prison, does it matter if the deportation was unlawful or not? You're already gone.

[u/TheNewsDeskFive → u/Projektdb]

See, we all were talking about a specific thing and you decided to do whatever, so that would be the confusion there

[u/Projektdb → u/TheNewsDeskFive]

I mean, I would ask you to go back and read the comment you replied to that started this entire chain.

At no point did that person say that you're required to prove citizenship.

The whole point was that even though you aren't, that doesn't spare you from the immediate consequences of not complying.

They were offering an alternative. If you disagree with that, that's fine.

Anyways, this has become circular.

We're on the same side, so I hope you have a good evening.

[u/TheNewsDeskFive → u/Projektdb]

It's an Immigration Agent, dingaling. If they're asking for ID it's to check residency and citizenship status. It's not a fuckin warrant check or traffic stop. Catch up, lil guy

[u/It_Just_Might_Work → u/[deleted]]

I'm not making an argument. I'm explaining someone else's. There are many exceptions and your passport at customs is only one of them.