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PaperclipPerfector  1yr ago (text post)   3997 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for April 23, 2023

Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?

This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.

Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.

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Idle question, how does the US government verify citizenship for homeless people? I'm talking the kind who have no money or papers to their name, being kicked around from one place to another, or have such severe cognitive decline they're in no position to identify themselves.

Let's say there's a black or brown dude who doesn't speak any English, and has no papers, but isn't near a border. What then?

It's essentially up the discretion of the authorities. If the police want to just let him go, they can. If the prosecutors don't want to press charges, they don't have to. Those decisions are essentially unreviewable in any individual case.

So in a whole lot of cases, because the formal procedure would be a lot of work for not a lot of benefit, the answer would probably be closer to "local cops deport him from their jurisdiction" than "local prosecutor seek formal deportation from the USA." Drive the weird vagrant to the next town over and leave him there.

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