Travel within the US by airplane?

My mother will be traveling to San Diego from ATL. Round trip.


Is a valid passport enough for her to travel? She does not have legal status, but her passport is valid.

she needs the permit and state ID

yes .

As far as I know it should be ok. Domestic flights don't have to go through immigration counter upon arrival. The TSA officer at the gate only cares whether the ID/passport is still valid and everything matches (name on boarding pass vs. on passport, your face vs. passport photo).

says who?

I'm thinking.... what type of passport does she has?? from your native country or a US one?

Its always risky, especially if you are here illegally and traveling with a foreign passport without a valid visa.

If she had a driver's license or state ID, it would be less risky, as they would presume she had legal status. Although TSA agents don't usually check immigration status, I was a member at visajourney, and several people had problems due to TSA agents randomly asking to see their visas and referring the case to immigration/border patrol.

There is also the risk of random inspections by ICE at airports near the border. She should ask an immigration attorney for advice or just take the risk if there's no other way to travel.

Uh, if she has a US passport, she wouldn't be asking this question, would she?

i've used my passport many times, never had issues

My parents just went to Seattle from Ft Lauderdale, FL a month ago and they were fine with just their passports (no visas). Hope this helps!