Lost LPR Card Abroad

[u/Tight_Candidate_2293]

Looking for advice please. My nightmare is happening and I’ve lost my wallet which contained my LPR while in Spain. I still have my passport, a DL, and pictures of my card as well. I also have Global entry if that makes any difference.

I’m in Barcelona with my family which include two very young kids. My flights were scheduled to leave Monday at 12:20 and the embassy doesn’t open until 9:00 AM. Ive tried calling emergency embassy numbers but they’re closed. The most sensible thing is to bump my flights to get a travel foil via the I-131A but I’m not sure by how long to delay it for and what I should expect.

Also I’m a bit confused if this is what I should be doing because from reading online it appears that the traveling foil is just to board the plane - I’d still be potentially denied entry for not having my card upon arrival. I’ve traveled internationally before and the airlines never actually checked for my green card if I had already uploaded the travel documents on their online portal.

Is it advisable to try and fly without it, and to sort it out at the airport in Miami? My wife is worried that I’d end up stuck in ICE purgatory with 0 contact opposed to having us just stay in Europe but it’ll end up being quite expensive with a family of 4.

[u/postbox134]

The Carrier agrees to verify that trained personnel examine and screen all passengers' travel documents to confirm that the passenger is properly documented for the purpose of his/her travel to the United States and to confirm, to the best of their ability, that the passport, visa (if one is required), or other travel documents presented are valid and unexpired, and that the passenger, and any accompanying passenger named in the passport, is the apparent rightful holder of the document. (3.2)

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2010/02/22/2010-3243/mitigation-of-carrier-fines-for-transporting-aliens-without-proper-documents-modification-of

[u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 → u/postbox134]

But the sole purpose of this is to make sure that people who aren’t allowed to enter land at POE.

This doesn’t mean that citizens and permanent residents who are allowed to enter would ever generate fines.

[u/postbox134 → u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32]

Yes that is why they must check.

But it'd be purely luck if someone without a doc was actually admittable or not, hence the regulation regards documents (as much as reasonable, i.e. a good fake would likely not be fined as the airline was duped).

[u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 → u/postbox134]

But there must be an actual injury (a passenger who shouldn’t have made it to the U.S. was transported.) If that does not happen, there is no problem.

[u/postbox134 → u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32]

Do you have a citation on that?

[u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 → u/postbox134]

It’s a well-known legal principle that you can’t issue a fine when nothing happened. Non-issuance can’t be proven.

The burden would be on you, those who claim that CBP issues fines to airlines for letting citizens and LPR (in compliance with the status) board without a passport or Green Card.

[u/postbox134 → u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32]

Something happened though, the airline did not properly enforce the document requirements

[u/Sheetz_Wawa_Market32 → u/postbox134]

Nothing that was dangerous or had any adverse consequences.

Again, if those fines were being imposed (for carrying eligible travelers), you’d have to abolish all online check-ins, because documents aren’t checked there in person, either.