It takes a special kind of audacity for government agents to look a U.S. citizen in the eye, point to their valid U.S. passport, and declare her identification was “not real.” Yet, this is precisely what unfolded for Maria Greeley, a U.S. citizen born in Illinois, at the hands of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) [1], [2]. Her crime? Apparently, not conforming to an unstated, yet aggressively enforced, ICE vision of what an American citizen is supposed to look like.
The Absurdity of Identity Policing
Maria Greeley, 44, was simply on her way home from her job at a Chicago Beach Bar when she was confronted [5], [7]. Despite presenting her U.S. passport and other identification, agents repeatedly insisted that her passport was “not real” and kept telling her she was “lying,” that she was “a liar” [3], [4], [6]. This wasn’t an isolated lapse in judgment; it was a sustained badgering, a baseless interrogation fueled by pure, unadulterated prejudice. Greeley herself observed that she is Latina and a service worker, adding with piercing clarity that she fit the description of what ICE agents were currently seeking [7]. The implication is chilling: ICE agents, acting under color of law, are operating with a playbook that prioritizes racial stereotypes over documented proof of citizenship.
A Pattern of Un-American Conduct
This isn’t an anomaly; it’s a feature. Under regimes that encourage a lawless, unchecked approach to immigration enforcement, the brazen disregard for civil liberties becomes a daily occurrence. What exactly do these agents think an American citizen should look like? Do they possess some secret algorithm, some unwritten code that determines authenticity based on skin color or surname rather than birthright and official documents? The very idea is repugnant to the foundational principles of this nation.
When Documents Mean Nothing
The cornerstone of a functioning society is the validity of its official documents. When agents of the state can unilaterally dismiss a U.S. passport, referring to it as “not real” [1], [2], [3], [4], [5], [6] simply because a citizen doesn’t conform to their racialized expectations, we have strayed into dangerous territory. This wasn’t a bureaucratic error; it was an active denial of reality, an assertion of arbitrary power that strips citizens of their identity and dignity. It’s racial profiling, plain and simple, and it is profoundly un-American. The contempt ICE agents showed for Maria Greeley’s legitimate identification is symptomatic of a broader institutional arrogance that sees certain communities as inherently suspect, regardless of their legal standing.
Sources & Footnotes
- https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQAAMFXCHgr/ ↩
- https://oversightdemocrats.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-oversight.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/2025-10-20-letter-from-blumenthal-and-garcia-to-noem.pdf ↩
- https://www.newsweek.com/us-citizen-says-ice-detained-her-said-her-passport-isnt-real-10875767 ↩
- https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-citizen-says-ice-detained-her-said-her-passport-isnt-real/ar-AA1OstV6?ocid=TobArticle ↩
- https://www.instagram.com/reel/DP2eQDcjPJB/ ↩
- https://evrimagaci.org/gpt/chicago-citizens-detained-by-ice-agents-spark-outrage-510013?srsltid=AfmBOoqhJCfMu3qjTKaXN6oegJ40TmpWqqBj8uEuZ2bj5zBhPY2uk_C8 ↩
- https://www.facebook.com/amightygirl/posts/maria-greeley-44-was-on-her-way-home-from-her-job-at-beach-bar-in-chicago-earlie/1237622238395446/ ↩
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