Is the US border police correct when he says photo ID is no good?

I'm an American citizen and was returning from a trip to Canada. I had a driver's license, a copy of my birth certificate, and my social security number.

The US border police said it's no good, they can't tell if I'm a US citizen. I must have an enhanced driver's license or a valid passport.

They did let me through but said that next time I must have an enhanced ID or a passport.

Can't they run my name through their databases and see that I am a USA citizen? My photo ID proves that i am who I am!

EDIT: Ok I can understand that the law is the law and I'm required to have the correct documentation as required by law. It was unintentional, as on the Canadian border crossing website it said that you can have just a photo ID and a birth certificate which I had with me.

But it's a lie for the Border Police to say that they cannot verify that I'm a US citizen. They can verify it; they have my photo; and I was entering the country in my home state, so they for sure have the database of the license IDs and they should be able to see your if your ID is forged or not. (If not than that's really stupid. They should be able to figure that out).

It's just that I don't have the documentation as prescribed by law, and they should have said such. Saying they cannot verify if I'm a citizen is not true

Best Answer

Well, a US citizen cannot be refused entry to the US, but by law, you are supposed to have either a passport, passport card, enhanced licence or Trusted Traveller card (some other docs are valid too, but these are the ones I can say off the top of my head).

In essence, since WHTI was introduced, you're supposed to have a compliant document to cross the border (including those I mentioned above), but since again, you cannot be refused entry to the US, you were merely delayed and the officer told you to get a compliant document for the future.

So: BS? No!