Originally Posted by
xyzzy
Regarding checkpoints, my mother was a naturalized US citizen. She was once given a hard time by CBP because she didn't carry her naturalization papers with her some 25 years after she became a US citizen. This was on a mid-80s entry to the US from Canada. They seemed to give her a hard time because they could, not because they had any doubt that she was a citizen.
I am a Naturalized US Citizen. However, I have a strong accent and have to carry a passport in order to get through these checkpoints. I was once told directly by a CBP officer that "if I don't have a passport, I could be subject to detention until my status is verified". Any guesses how long such detention might be?
In 2004-2006 I had to go through one of those checkpoints on the way to work. Having to carry a passport every day certainly reminded me of the Soviet Union, where it was a requirement for evryone over the age of 16.