Given the contemporary issues of unlawful migration and foreign terrorism, what are the pros and cons of requiring American citizens to carry on their person identification information and display such information to a peace officer on demand?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

America has a historical tradition of not requiring formal documentation for its citizens. Overcoming that tradition would be politically difficult. However, modern societal concerns about illegal migration into the country and the potential for acts of terrorism by individuals who are unlawfully in the country might sway public opinion away from the traditional view.

Due to the nature of modern society, most persons already carry forms of identification, be it driver's license, school identification cards, credit cards, or organizational membership cards. Requiring such identification to be carried is unlikely to create a burden on the citizenry.

Since the Supreme Court has previously ruled that a state may penalize a person for not verbally identifying themselves to a peace officer upon demand, requiring production of some form of documentation would seem to be a small added step. Production of a state-issued photo identification in order to vote has survived initial judicial challenges in Texas and other states. Requirement of production of identification based upon an officer's reasonable suspicion might clear judicial scrutiny as well.