How can you tell if someone is here illegally by looking at them? Where I live (Irvine CA) I have neighbors here illegally and they own homes and just blend in. There is a bar in Newport Beach where half the patrons on any night are here illegally. The only reason I know this about any of them is because they’ve told me. They have accents but you wouldn’t even know that unless you spoke to them. You cannot tell by looking.