1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

Recent guidance from the Department of Homeland Security suggesting that U.S. citizens should be prepared to show proof of citizenship to ICE agents during enforcement operations is deeply alarming. This approach evokes “show your papers” practices that are fundamentally incompatible with a free society and the constitutional protections guaranteed to Americans. There is no legal requirement for U.S. citizens to carry proof of citizenship in their daily lives. Encouraging or implying otherwise invites unlawful stops, racial profiling, and intimidation—particularly of Latino, Indigenous, and other brown communities who are disproportionately targeted during immigration enforcement actions. This guidance risks eroding Fourth and Fifth Amendment protections by normalizing suspicionless encounters with federal agents and shifting the burden onto individuals to prove their legitimacy to the government. History shows that such practices do not improve public safety; they instead foster fear, discourage cooperation with law enforcement, and undermine trust in public institutions. Congress has a clear responsibility to exercise oversight when executive agencies issue guidance that threatens civil liberties. Oversight should include: - Clarifying that citizens are not required to carry or present proof of citizenship - Investigating whether DHS guidance has resulted in unconstitutional stops or profiling - Reaffirming limits on ICE authority during domestic enforcement operations Americans should not be conditioned to accept internal checkpoints or routine demands for identification as the price of living in their own country. The normalization of “papers, please” policies represents a dangerous shift away from constitutional governance and toward authoritarian enforcement practices. Congress must act to protect civil liberties, rein in abusive enforcement tactics, and ensure that no federal agency is permitted to trample fundamental rights under the guise of immigration policy.