BIRD TALK

Dear bird talk,

While wintering in Mesa, arizona and driving a car with alberta plates, a friend was stopped by the local police for a routine traffic check. No traffic violation had occurred.the driver was asked for her driver’s license, vehicle registration, car insurance and her passport. she provided the first three items to the officer, but explained that she did not carry her passport with her and that it was at her residence which was only five minutes away from where they were stopped.the officer said that she should be carrying her passport with her at all times and that she was breaking a federal law and could be deported for not having it with her. she asked if she could go to her home and get her passport and he said “No.” the officer then went back to his car to talk to the other officer who was with him. they talked for about 15 minutes and then he came back to the alberta driver and said that he was issuing her a warning and that she must have her passport with her from now on. she asked if a copy would be sufficient and he said “No”. Is this, in fact, required of canadian citizens in Arizona? I am sure most of us keep our passport in a safe place, and do not carry it with us or store it in the glove box of the car!

Martha Prasse
Prince albert, sK

Response:
Ed: There is a new law in Arizona requiring proof of residence, which is being challenged in the courts, and no one is certain what the real law is at this point. This is the first direct incident we have discovered, so thank you for your note. We believe that this will not become a big issue for Canadians, although we do recommend carrying some form of identification with you at all times.