This is not a search at all, and even if it was, it is not at all unreasonable. The customer is choosing to apply for service (and credit) from the utility. The utility has every right to ask him to prove his right to be in the country.
Asking for somone to prove their right to be here (especially on a one time basis, as oppposed to stopping them on the street) is not at all intrusive.
We already require employers to verify that new employees are legally eligible to work in the US. How is this different?
Oh, okay... We ask employers to prove someone is in the country legally?
Exactly how does that work? I hand you and I-9 and you provide I.D. from Columns A&B, if you haven’t I.D. in Column in column B, see column C.
This info is never sent to anyone, ever. It sits there in a file awaiting some government demand to see it, which never comes.
A company has right to determine ability to pay and creditworthiness but no imprimatur exists for demanding ones citizenship status.
Besides, what hack idiot at a company could determine the difference between all the I.D.’s out there.
I might provide an expired passport which of course would be rejected. Even though the Federal Government has supposedly done a background check on me and proclaimed me a bona fide American.
Still others, such as certain felons and parolee’s are prevented from obtaining a passport.
Most Americans wouldn’t pay the $75 dollar fee, wait for hours or days a passport office or the usual 6-8 weeks to obtain either.
Then there is the question of work visa status and determining the various classes of documentation associated the that.
Hand your documents to a utility? Go to Olivera street, in L.A. give someone $50 bucks and now you have a SS#, which should indicate you are an American.
Now the bigger leap comes when the government demands the records of suspects of some crime, from the utility and their premise is Patriot Act II.
No one has any recourse or voice under PA II and the utility is very, very obligated to comply with the demand from a PA II enforcer.
Additionally, there are many people who are citizens of another country and domicile here in the U.S. part of the year.
I have 4 or 5 friends, who are citizens of another country and are wealthy enough to live where ever they please throughout the year. In fact, variously, they have homes in CA, FL, Mexico, Chile, Ecuador, Virgin Islands, Caymans, Greece, England, etc.
These are all blue eyed pasty face guys. You would demand they prove they are an American? LOL they would simply vacation or live elsewhere.
This goes for even more of my friends, who are most definitely American and have homes all over the United States and world.
Documentation that I am an American. I would say to the state “you are cracked and I am selling my home”.
“Loved it here until you became part of the Nationalist Social Party but, call me when you get over this “proof” thing and want to act like you are a part of the government”.
“Sorry I won’t be using your limo services, employing your gardners, housekeepers, eating at your restaurants and generally spending my money in your state”.
Later, Tater....
Would we demand