Immigration Attorney Jessica Meng

According to the U.S. Immigration Laws, each 18-year-old permanent resident must always carry a green card or green card receipt. Violators will be guilty of a misdemeanor. If convicted, each offense is liable to a fine of more than $100, or imprisonment not exceeding 30 days, or the concurrence of the two, but the maximum fine is $500.

In the recent immigration raid operation, immigration enforcement officers imposed a fine of $100 and above to some permanent residents who did not carry green cards. A few permanent residents did not carry the green cards, but carried the copies of the original green cards, were charged with criminal accusation of counterfeiting government documents.

To be afraid of loss or damage the green cards (I-551), employment authorization cards (EAD) or Social Security cards (SSN) and other documents issued by the Government, many immigrants carry the colored copies, but were fined during the raid.

USCIS pointed out that any immigration identification cannot be used a colored copy in lieu of any original documents.  Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have the right to check the immigration identification documents at the border and give penalties for those who falsified immigration documents.