There is no way to tell a legal resident from an illegal one without a hearing and it would be a civil hearing. If you didn't even show you would get a default judgement to vacate and that would be all. I don't suddenly become an illegal occupant if my toddler eats my lease. And you aren't automatically an illegal just because you can't produce a copy.
You can't live a legal life anyway, the law is enormous, contradictory, and ambiguous.
Then how does anyone ever get a breaking and entering charge? Or trespassing for that matter? I think there is a standard of judgment where it's the responding officer's determination whether or not it is actually a civil issue. Trespassing as well as breaking and entering are criminal charges, and if they can determine that you committed a criminal act, then civil court is a moot point. I know that you can't just break into a place, squat, and expect to have it be a civil issue. No police officer in this state will allow you to squat, and then force the landowner to file eviction proceedings.
I know what you're talking about as far as screwing over a landlord, moving into a place, and then forcing the landlord to evict you. But on the same coin, the landlord can break into your place and rob you of everything you own, and that would ALSO be a civil issue.. if you piss someone off, especially a landowner of who's property you reside on, they're capable of screwing you over in just the same method you did them.