i have an important question and i need solid answers please (:

hi all,

this year, i filed for my very first DACA in late June, got my biometrics done in July, and am now waiting for my approval (which i really, really hope i get as i know i had some gaps in there that i couldn't get proof for) and my permit.

back in March, i moved out of my roommates' place (we all had to go our separate ways) and into my mom's place temporarily and my pets, chinchillas, had to be placed in temporary foster care because my mom has a terrible phobia of all rodents. i plan on keeping chinchillas for the rest of my life, or as long as possible (like one would a cat and/or a dog) and feel it unnecessary and heartless to give them up only to get new ones a few months later.

anyway, the lady is only allowing me to leave them with her (for free because i don't have a job yet-- can't get one, y'know) until November, by which, hopefully, my permit will be on its way.

my boyfriend has offered to take them in for now, until we can move in together (pretty much as soon as my permit arrives-- which we really hope it does). however, he lives in Florida and i'm in California. him, being a college student and not having time to go out of state, has offered to pay the transportation fee for my (now our) chinchillas. we're looking into every possible option (RR'ing them across by chin-friendly community-- we haven't gotten many takers and it was posted months ago), my sister and her boyfriend taking them as they're going on a trip half-way and offered to take them (but they recently have had a lot of bumps in their relationship so they might be out as an option), a pet transportation service (we still haven't found a very trustworthy and reliable one that can safely transport chinchillas-- and it has to be affordable on a college student's budget).
because of all of that, he came up with a last option-- he has offered to pay for an airline ticket for myself and our chinchillas can travel with the cargo.

this leads me to ask my question:

is it safe for me to fly within the [continental] United States? if so, do i need anything? do i need to take any specific precautions?
i don't have a passport and all i do have is my Matricula thingy.
i know i read somewhere, a couple of years ago-- could be very much outdated by now-- that people with no legal status are safe from deportation, or something, especially for childhood arrivals.

it is really important that i get my chinnies over there. i love them very much and don't want to have to give them up just because of my current, unfortunate situation, especially because i don't want to replace them by getting new ones in a couple of months or so, nor ever.

if you could please answer my questions, especially as soon as possible, i would greatly appreciate it.

thank you. (:

P.S. i sincerely apologize if i posted this in the wrong section.

I have traveled with DACA and without DACA. Both times I showed my foreign passport as proof of identification. My cousin works for the TSA and she tells me people travel with foreign id's on continental flights everyday without showing their permanent residency card.


You can check in your pets but it's up to the airline how much they want to charge you. Call the airline you intend to fly on.

Adult passengers 18 and over must show valid identification at the airport checkpoint in order to travel.

-Driver's licenses or other state photo identity cards issued by Department of Motor Vehicles (or equivalent)
-U.S. passport
-U.S. passport card
-DHS trusted traveler cards (Global Entry, NEXUS, SENTRI, FAST)
-U.S. military ID (active duty or retired military and their dependents, and DoD civilians)
-Permanent resident card
-Border crossing card
-DHS-designated enhanced driver's license
-Airline or airport-issued ID (if issued under a TSA-approved security plan)
-Federally recognized, tribal-issued photo ID
-HSPD-12 PIV card
-Foreign government-issued passport (this is what I used)
-Canadian provincial driver's license or Indian and Northern Affairs Canada card
-Transportation worker identification credential


https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-...identification

https://apps.tsa.dhs.gov/mytsa/cib_r...src=tsawebsite

Can you get a passport? That is probably better than the Mexi-majigger card.

unfortunately, i cannot get a passport. when i went to go get my Matricula thingy, i was told that i can't get a passport with it because i could not provide a current picture ID to prove my age.
i can't use it to prove my age anywhere else either-- that makes it impossible for my sisters (who are younger than me) to buy their adult drinks , for example, when i accompany them on quick runs, unless i wait outside or in their cars.

anyway, it turns out i won't be flying after all.
i do need to know, however, if i can step foot in the airport (LAX) to check my pets in (they're flying) without worrying about getting caught and deported or something. i have heard that some airports are very strict and have ICE everywhere, but i don't know if it's just a scarecrow or their supposed presence is a lie.
what's the furthest i can go into an airport (LAX) if all i'm doing is checking in my pets to make sure they get on and are on their way?

my chins leave in less than two weeks and i really need to know, as soon as possible, if i can go with to drop them off as i know that whomever i entrust them to won't quite know what to do.

any and all help will be greatly appreciated.
thank you. (:

No, I would NOT advise you to fly with that matricula, btw I wouldn't even carrying that if you was you. It pretty says you are 100% Mexican national with or with out authorization to be here. Also keep in mind that most normal states ID are NOT sufficient to fly and they need something like the enhanced ID which only citizens can get. So, no that matricula will not be enough. Even with DACA you would only be getting the non-enhanced state ID which might not be enough to fly.


http://www.seattletimes.com/life/tra...oard-aircraft/

thank you for your reply. (:
i don't like to carry it with me anyway. if i'm ever asked, i just say i don't have an ID. ^^;

anyway, i'm not flying anymore. my question now is whether or not i can even step foot in an airport (like LAX, specifically). what is the furthest i can go in? can i check my pets in for their flight or is it too risky? should i wait in the car, at the airport, while someone else does it for me?

It also depends where you fly from. I live in the South Texas border and even though I show my DL to the TSA agent, the border patrol (or customs?) agent (there are almost always border patrol agents there) always asks me for my permit, EVERY SINGLE TIME.

I've flown from Las Vegas, Dallas, Houston, NYC, and they were OK with the DL, but again, if there are border patrol agents in the airport you are flying from, you might be in trouble.

EDIT: for most of us with DACA (at least the late ones), the Texas DL say "LIMITED TERM DRIVER LICENSE", so that might raise some flags.

thank you for your reply (:

my most important question now is:
is there border patrol at LAX?
i've been to the McCarran Intl Airport a few times (when i was still in Vegas) to just walk around with my old roommates before they went in for work, and we never had problems with any border patrol presence. is there border patrol at LAX? i really need to know this soon as i really have no other way to send my pets across (i'm not flying anymore-- it's just them).