Entered US with only Drivers License..Is this Normal?? Freaking out..HELP!

[MaleAlpha 314]

Hi Everyone -

A friend had a bachelor party in San Diego and while there we decided to head off a strip club in Tijuana, Mexico for a couple of hours.

We were a party of about 15 guys (all of them US citizens except me - I am a permanent resident).

On our way back, the driver of the rented limousine we rode in asked us to pass over our ID's or drivers licenses to him to hand over to the CBP.

The CBP officer checked ONLY the drivers licenses (came over to the door and called out our names and matched our faces to the IDs and ushered us back into the US).

He checked some things on his computer prior to coming to the door of our car. He never scanned our fingerprints etc (like they do at the airpports) or asked any questions.

I thought this was a bit odd as I expected my green card and passport (I had it on me) to be checked but that didn't happen.

When I got home, I checked to see if this was the norm and everything on the CBP site said only passports and Green cards were used to border crossings even if by land.

So now I'm freaking out and don't know if I committed an offense or something.I don't know how the CBP officer just processed us all in with just IDs.

I would like to know if this is usual or if I am in trouble of some sort? If I am, what do I have to do? call USCIS, CBP etc.?

If not, doesn't this seem way too easy to get folks into the US? (The IDs could have been fake and we could have had illegals in the limousine etc.)

The limousine was dark and I doubt he really made out our faces clearly in the dark car.

Any advise would be very much appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

[Penguin_ie 5,984]

You didn't do anything wrong! Definitely keep your greencard etc with you though, because next time, you may get a more strict border/ immigration officer.

CBP has some discretion as to how close they look; for example, people can easily be hidden in the trunk of normal cars, but very few are asked to pull aside/ open the trunk at border crossings. CBP officers are trained to look for certain tell tale signs, nervousness etc.

[Hypnos 6,576]

Driver's licenses and ID cards aren't valid entry documents - unless they're "Enhanced" licenses which are only issued by a handful of states and for which you must be a US citizen to obtain.

LPRs are only required to show their green cards when re-entering the US. A passport is optional.

It doesn't sound like standard operating procedure was being followed at this border checkpoint. That's more CBP's problem and not yours.

Edited September 7, 2016 by Hypnos

[EM_Vandaveer 2,364]

You did not do anything wrong.

Edited September 7, 2016 by EM_Vandaveer

[KierenHby 897]

CBP has discretion in what documents to use for identification. You're fine!

[IcezMan_IcezLady 582]

You were lucky..

[MaleAlpha 314]

You were lucky..

I'm not sure if it's luck than it being more of a security issue.

I had my passport and GC with me and would have presented it if he had asked but he never asked for IDs.

I am just wondering why the check was so lax. I just feel like it could have been a fake ID used by an illegal, we could have had drugs on us etc. I expected at least fingerprint scans like they do at the airport but none of that happened. He just checked our IDs on his computer for sometime, came around to the door of the car, mentioned each person's name and matched their face to the photo on the ID..and that was all!

Regardless, it's good to know I am not in any form of trouble for not using a correct ID to enter as the CBP guy didn't demand it from anyone.

[IcezMan_IcezLady 582]

I'm not sure if it's luck than it being more of a security issue.

I had my passport and GC with me and would have presented it if he had asked but he never asked for IDs.

I am just wondering why the check was so lax. I just feel like it could have been a fake ID used by an illegal, we could have had drugs on us etc. I expected at least fingerprint scans like they do at the airport but none of that happened. He just checked our IDs on his computer for sometime, came around to the door of the car, mentioned each person's name and matched their face to the photo on the ID..and that was all!

Regardless, it's good to know I am not in any form of trouble for not using a correct ID to enter as the CBP guy didn't demand it from anyone.

You are not in trouble...you are stretching with the fake ID. I don't have much training like a CBP officer but I can spot lots of fake IDs just from my TABC training.

So the CBP officer may have been very relaxed in carrying out his duties but I bet a fake ID wouldn't have got you through.

[KierenHby 897]

I am just wondering why the check was so lax.

Being in a limo maybe played a part..?

[MaleAlpha 314]

You are not in trouble...you are stretching with the fake ID. I don't have much training like a CBP officer but I can spot lots of fake IDs just from my TABC training.

So the CBP officer may have been very relaxed in carrying out his duties but I bet a fake ID wouldn't have got you through.

I will agree with you on that. Perhaps they are trained to spot a fake and check for things not obvious to an untrained eye like mine.

Thanks for your input.