Green Card Holders do have to carry the green cards on them at all times, but they usually only show them to Immigration Officials & State Department.
The Difference in Ben’s scenario, he was doing something that caught the cops attention & driving is a privileged not a right.
But the Arizona law allows a cop to stop any person and demand proof of citizenship. A driver’s license isn’t proof of legality. A social security number isn’t proof of legality (and quite easy to forge). A birth certificate is easy to forge (to paraphrase a t-shirt “Sure Officer, all Maine Birth Certificates are written in crayon). To prove legality you would need to carry around a valid US Passport.
And here’s the thing, you might think you are “OK” but the cops are going to have to have the racial numbers balance out. They’ll be stopping more white people. And they’ll be taking in more white people who don’t have the appropriate ID.
20 FOR ANY LAWFUL CONTACT MADE BY A LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIAL OR AGENCY
21 OF THIS STATE OR A COUNTY, CITY, TOWN OR OTHER POLITICAL SUBDIVISION OF THIS
22 STATE WHERE REASONABLE SUSPICION EXISTS THAT THE PERSON IS AN ALIEN WHO IS
23 UNLAWFULLY PRESENT IN THE UNITED STATES, A REASONABLE ATTEMPT SHALL BE MADE,
24 WHEN PRACTICABLE, TO DETERMINE THE IMMIGRATION STATUS OF THE PERSON. THE
25 PERSON'S IMMIGRATION STATUS SHALL BE VERIFIED WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
26 PURSUANT TO 8 UNITED STATES CODE SECTION 1373(c).
Allows them to stop them "FOR ANY LAWFUL CONTACT" not just on a whim.
They also need to show the green card when they buy firearms from a licensed dealer. Those are sold only to citizens and green card holders.