Illegal Aliens Are Not Criminals
From there, he explained, it gets more complicated. Some illegal immigrants have committed a criminal act depending on how they go about entering the country.
“If you’re guilty of alien smuggling or document fraud and it is immigration-related,” Morton said, “then it’s a crime.”
Yet, whether you’re talking about crossing into the United States without permission or overstaying a visa, the act itself is not necessarily a crime.
“Generally speaking,” he said, “if you’re being deported and you’re being detained for it, it’s for a civil infraction and not a criminal one.”
That makes sense. If the infraction were a criminal one, the punishment wouldn’t be deportation but imprisonment. But what if you’re here illegally and you’re forced to leave, but then you come back?
“If you’re deported and you reenter the country,” Morton said, “then it’s a crime. And it’s a crime to enter the country in certain ways. For instance, if you use someone else’s passport or steal someone’s identity, that’s also a crime.”
I would guess that most Americans have never thought about these distinctions. They simply assume that anyone in the country illegally is guilty of a criminal act. Period.
That is not so. Illegal immigrants broke the law, all right. There’s no point in denying that. So what if it was to feed their families? That’s not relevant. Whatever their motives, people who break the law must be held accountable. And the first step is to acknowledge what was done and call it by its proper name. That’s why I’m only too happy to argue with those — including many fellow Latinos — who insist on using softer euphemisms like “undocumented worker” or “non-citizen.” And that’s why, in the past, I’ve supported speedier deportations, workplace raids, and other immigration enforcement measures.
Still, in most cases, assuming that we’re not talking about committing a more serious offense such as human smuggling or document fraud, the law that was broken was — as Morton pointed out — a civil statute and not a criminal one.
Of course, once in this country, illegal immigrants may proceed to break other laws. In that case, they are criminals. They should be arrested, prosecuted, and — if convicted — imprisoned.
But if that never happens, if they live in the United States and never so much as jaywalk or get a speeding ticket, then they don’t deserve to be called criminals. And that’s because, believe it or not, the mere act of being in the country illegally isn’t a crime.
Ruben,
Maybe not, but they’re still here ILLEGALLY.
I feel bad for these people. They’re being used by the left, and by big agribusiness. But they ARE here illegally, and part of what that means — among many other things — is that they cut the line to get here.
So why should we tolerate that? Why cry for them, instead of advocating for enforcement of the law? What about all the others who aren’t lucky enough to share a border with the USA? What about the Haitians, Brazilians, Poles, Russians, and Chinese who want to come here?
How come they have to wait in line, fill out the forms, while Mexicans get to break the law?
You’re arguing for something that is simply wrong, out of a misplaced sense of ethnic solidarity. As an American, you should care when our laws are broken, no matter who breaks them.
To summarize Navarrette’s PRETZEL LOGIC:
“IT DEPENDS ON WHAT THE MEANING OF “IS” IS.”
…
Give up your silly rationalizations, Ruben.
PJM: DUMP THIS CREEPY WRITER!!!
Black is black and white is white. Right is right and wrong is wrong and truth is not relative! Go, Rubin!
Ruben,Ruben, Ruben. . .give it up. If you are trying to get sympathy for illegals go to the Kos, you won’t get it here.
Are they illegal? Yes. The only thing missing is the court decision. Being in the US without a visa, staying over a visa, or crossing the border without passing an immigration control point are all crimes.
So you can break a law and not be a criminal? Only a lawyer or an apologist would think that the distinction is somehow significant. The rest of us living in the real world understand that when you break a law, you break a law. The English language commonly refers to lawbreakers as criminals.
But, hey, I’m perfectly willing to use a different term for “someone who broke a law but it was a *civil* infraction not a *criminal* one.” So why did you not tell us what those people are supposed to be called? If the distinction is significant, then there’s a word for it, right? And are you suggesting that we should somehow act differently than making every attempt to apprehend and deport illegals?
Hey, how about we just call them that? “Illegals.” Civil or criminal, it’s accurate.
Cut the navel-gazing, Rubén, and join mainstream, Anglo, society.
Let me make sure I have this right Ruben. You are saying that as a red blooded, stump jumping natural born Yankee:
(1.) I can rent space in my single family city residence to as many as illegal Hispanics as I want to.
(2.) I can have them pay me $600.00 per month cash that I put into my pocket without telling anyone about it.
(3.) I can draw welfare for myself and every one of these guests that live in my home.
(4.) I can get the local, state and federal governments to pay 70% or more of the mortgage on my home.
(5.) If things get too bumpy to meet the bills I can set the house on fire, burn it down and start all over again thanks to the same agencies above: plus several more that come in to show me compassion.
(6.) I can get complete free medical treatment from any hospital for myself and my guests.
(7.) I can ignore any law or social custom that I want to.
(8.) I can raise as many chickens on my property as I want to.
(9.) If a few of my guests have TB or some other contagious disease that isn’t my problem.
(10.) I can dig up the street and add a new driveway with my friends bulldozers anytime that I want to. Most, or all of my guests drive brand new SUVs or luxury cars; meaning it isn’t fair to expect them to park them on the street.
In short, I can do or say anything that I want to because this is America and living in American means freedom which means that whatever I decide to do is not really a crime…?
Mr. Navarette:
Listen to #2 Rick. You’re still beating that drum, and you’re not getting any traction here.
“Still, in most cases, assuming that we’re not talking about committing a more serious offense such as human smuggling or document fraud, the law that was broken was — as Morton pointed out — a civil statute and not a criminal one.”
Uh-huh…a distinction without much difference, if you ask me.
“And that’s because, believe it or not, the mere act of being in the country illegally isn’t a crime.”
Well, if you’re going to narrowly define “crime” as only that which is specifically forbidden by criminal statute, then okay.
We can fix that, though…
But why should we bother? If illegal immigration per se isn’t a crime, as you laughably suggest, then we can save ourselves a heap of money by simply deporting apprehended illegal aliens with absolutely no judicial hearings whatsoever.
Since there’s no “crime” involved…just get on the bus.
OK so let’s start being more aggressive about checking immigration status and deporting those here illegally. Don’t criminalize but get the job done. Or better yet, start charging them for all the services (health, education) that they get for free. If they actually had to start paying their own way like the rest of us, they would self-deport.
No problem, but hiring them IS a crime. Let’s see how long the problem lasts after a few hundred company presidents go to jail.
Ruben – You’re arguing semantics and it’s silly. Replace the word “criminal” with “lawbreaker” and the whole article turns to fairy dust.
The USA is the property of our citizens. As property owners we get to decide who comes and goes here, and who stays and who does not. You wouldn’t just let anybody move into your house Ruben, would you? In any event, a majority of Americans want persons who have no legal right to be here gone, and have wanted this for a long time. The politicians have sold Americans out on this subject.
Time for a bounty on illegal aliens (with appropriate safeguards). It would get the job done and be cheaper than what we do now. Illegal aliens cost the country more than they contribute – the studies are pretty clear on this point. Those who hire illegal aliens get to dump the social costs of their employees (hospitals, jails, schools for their children, etc.) on the public. For that reason, the law ought to be – hire an illegal and go to jail. That would get the illegal alien enablers attention.
@RKV, so you think you own something here in Amerika, do you, RKV ? You better do some research, you don’t own anything here and neither does any other Amerikan !!!
http://www.apfn.net/Doc-100_bankruptcy.htm
Can you write an article other than illegal immigrants are the salt of the earth? You are a one trick pony.
The membership at this website keep thinking this is a Tea Party friendly site…
It is NOT.
this place is crawlin with neocons… wearing gentile pajamas
but I can smell Bill Kristol in every thread
The Tea Party and the neocons are natural enemies…. no matter how many propaganda pieces on the good immigrant they hammer out.
Just look at the boos when Tea Party regs gave Ron Paul the majority at CPAC…. they were booed!!
The Tea Party has more in common with the Dems and Libertarians than the old guard republicans.
Tea Party regs are not pro war… not big business… not multinational friendly… hate big banks… and want the borders closed.
The neocons running this place want perpetual war on their enemy … Islam… love the cheap labor for their big businesses…
Think Goldman Sachs is misunderstood… and that multi nationals have our best interests at heart… if you can find a heart in any of these murderous creeps.
I’m really shocked at the lemming like following of former Buchanan republicans to this site.
There is nothing here for Tea Party regulars but scorn and manipulation.
Okay, Ruben, getting as far as your headline and that sub-headline, all I can think is, if it’s not against the law to be in this country illegally, then our laws on illegal immigration are even stupider and more self-destructive than I thought.
There is not a single illegal alien here in the US that never breaks any other laws. Not one.
They break traffic laws and IRS laws just to name two broad categories. You never met an illegal that didn’t take cash for work and never report it to the IRS. You never met an illegal whose car was safety inspected with all the required insurance who scrupulously obeyed everyone of the myriad traffic laws in every state, county and municipality where they drive.
So what’s your fallback position, Navarrette? You don’t care about the truth, you just want to make the best case you can for illegal aliens who share your ethnic classification. So what’s your next argument, that I’m a racist? Wait, you already made that argument, better think of another one.
Every nitwit who supports illegal immigration should have to sponsor an illegal and be completely financially and legally responsible for all food, clothing, shelter, healthcare, education, etc. and be held equally criminally and civilly responsible for any crimes committed by their illegal and their progeny. In addition all of those economically harmed by illegal immigration should be able to swap jobs with those nitwits on demand. Let these people for once have to pay for their stupidity with their own money rather than with mine.
“Morton is no squishy liberal and he doesn’t take lawbreakers lightly.”
If he wasn’t and didn’t he wouldn’t be in the Obama administration.
Where is the rest of this article? You know, the part that actually has a POINT.
Or was the intent here just to score some cheap sympathy goals, i.e., illegals are not “necessarily” criminals just by virtue of their entry into the country (although, it is difficult to imagine how someone who is not in the country legally for whatever reason can continue to stay in the country without violating any, other laws– unless they can live here completely free of rent, a job, health care or education, i.e., as a leech on someone else who is either here illegally making them an accomplice or someone here legally in which case that person is now a breaking the law).
Well I knew navarette was a racist. But now he proves himself a liar as well.
http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/uscode/8/12/II/VIII/1325
8 U.S.C. § 1325 : US Code – Section 1325: Improper entry by alien
(a) Improper time or place; avoidance of examination or inspection;
misrepresentation and concealment of facts
Any alien who (1) enters or attempts to enter the United States
at any time or place other than as designated by immigration
officers, or (2) eludes examination or inspection by immigration
officers, or (3) attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United
States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the
willful concealment of a material fact, shall, for the first
commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18 or
imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both, and, for a subsequent
commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18, or
imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both.
Civil penalties under this subsection are in addition to, and not
in lieu of, any criminal or other civil penalties that may be
imposed.
Punk.
This is yet another article from the wild and wonderful world of the American Left where all of life is theoretical and none is practical. What percentage of those foreigners who are here illegally are also working or just thriving in America? It is a very large percentage. All of them have fake driver licenses, insurance cards, and all the other little items that are necessary for gaining ordinary employment in the US. Can you say “stolen social security number?” In having these items, illegal immigrants support the criminals who manufacture fake credentials. And that is just the tip of the iceberg. So, dear Leftists, permit me to point out that when you take your kids to a rally for illegal immigrants, along with teaching them compassion for the needy, you are also teaching them that it is cool to support both ordinary felons and the super-ordinary criminals who enable thousands of felons. But that’s OK, dear Leftists, because for you everything is theoretical and nothing is practical. You know, you could just stay home and give your kids a lecture from Che.
For those who wish to come here, obedience of the law and respect of the society that exists is paramount: that right to be here is granted via procdure and lawful agreement Nation to Nation. Citizens are to obey those agreements between Nations… that is a duty we have to ourselves, our Nation and to the respect of other Nations as sovereign entities and protector of their societies. Those that do not respect the civil law in their own Nation violate only that Nation’s law. When they abrogate the agreement between Nations, on their own, without leave nor askance by either Nation, then they are breaking the international agreement between Nations.
For those who wish treaties to be upheld, then such agreements between Nations are the backbone of creating a civil life between Nations. Individual who do not acknowledge such are scorning their own civil laws of their home Nation, those civil laws of the destination Nation, and breaking the Law of Nations between Nations that keep order amongst Nations. This is one of the most basic areas of human affairs, even more basic than the law of war as that only comes about once the Law of Nations is created.
Those that break the agreement seek to weaken international agreements between Nations to their own ends. It does not matter if it is to feed their family or to seek a job or to plot schemes or to kill. They have violated the basis of their very protection, walked away from their rights of citizens by not doing their duty to their Nation and its agreements. They are far more than just in the US illegally, even as a civil misdemeanor it is a violation of our civil laws that protect our citizen’s civil rights, not that anyone ever brings up OUR civil rights but that is why we have those laws. No they have also violated their own civil laws and demonstrated no care for their home society and Nation’s laws. Yet we hear of no shame that should accrue to that, either. Beyond that they violate those agreements that allow us to have commerce, travel and regular discourse and intercourse between Nations. I hear great uproar about violations of international law on other topics, but the respect for keeping that standard seemingly disappears here… yet this is even more vital than those areas as it allows societies to regulate themselves, as they wish, without outside intrusions.
I am sorry if that seems cold, heartless and needlessly cruel. But that is how things work. If you want treaties between Nations, then uphold them all. It is not a pick and choose affair between Nations if you have any respect for Nations as the sovereign representative of the people of that Nation. You want respect for international law? Look in the mirror. Respect for that starts with you doing your duty and obeying those laws not only of your Nation, but between Nations and in other Nations regarding their societies. That basis of international law starts with you upholding it… you may disagree with it, but you must respect it even in disagreement as that procures the safety of all societies and Nations.
The law is not made to be nice. Mercy is in judgment not in verdict. And disobedience to international law is the first step to warfare as that is the ultimate right of a society to protect itself. Want fewer wars? Respect the rights of all Nations and their agreements. No good comes of doing the opposite.
This is legal sematism. The distinction between criminal and civil laws are the penalties (e.g., prison vs. fine). Using this logic, those who violate civil rights laws aren’t criminal either. Regarless, we are dealing with illegal behavior for which there is a clear remedy: deportation. So what’s the point of this article? Don’t call all illegal immigrants criminals as they are being deported?
As a parting shot, what pecentage of illegal immigrants have engaged in document fraud? Every illegal immigrant who has done so is a criminal.
Let me see if I understand this. It is OK for a person to come into the US without permission/stay without permission, use American resources, etc that are paid for by American Taxpayers. But it is a crime for someone to walk into your house, eat your food, use your bathroom etc without your permission.
America’s immigration laws are insane.
Ruben… Now you’re parsing words (IE: civil infraction vs criminal one)
It still is a CRIME to enter our country ILLEGALLY. And those who commit this crime _are_ ILLEGAL ALIENS.
Altering words doesn’t change the facts.
Last census it was estimated we have between 11 and 12 million ILLEGAL ALIENS on the states. Right off the bat we know our census bureau has a tendency to sandbag numbers related to something like this. Their 11 or 12 million is California alone! Real number would be like 3x their estimate for a national estimate.
And then the ILLEGAL ALIEN draw on services. I’m not even going to try and list them, but I just know there is a huge list of services meant for CITIZENS that are abused by ILLEGAL ALIENS.
If not here legally, it’s deportation time!
Not a crime?
Use a false name or SS number on a W-4 Form? Crime
Work for cash and don’t file a tax return? Crime.(Ask Al Capone)
File a tax return with false information? Crime
Drive without a license? Crime
Use false information to get a drivers license? Crime.
Work for cash, don’t report it and receive welfare benefits? Crime.
Use a fake ID’s? Crime.
The biggest crime of all? The government refuses to enforce the law.
Unless they are not working, eating, breathing or moving there is a crime.
If I do any of the above I will be in jail.
Mr. Navarrette Jr., PLEASE stop pretending it’s not a crime.
Ruben, you’ve been beating that drum for many years, but it still doesn’t make it right. Not only are these people here illegally, they are a drain on our overstretched system. Not only that, but they send billions of dollars a year back to Mexico, thus giving that country a crutch so that it does not need to make needed reforms of their own. In fact, one might say that Mexico’s government has a good reason to keep their excess population flowing north to help soothe their economy.
If being an illegal alien technically isn’t illegal, then we need to change that. It should be a criminal offense punishable by fines and/or jail time.
I certainly disagree with Mr. Navarette’s opinions about illegal immigrants, but this is a decent article.
He prevents factual information and does not use any snide or racist remarks against those he disagrees with.
It would be interesting to see if there is any research on the percentage of illegal immigrants who are guilty of the civil offense, who ultimately end up committing criminal offenses such as false social security numbers, identity theft, etc.
Typical BS from a class warfare lib. Straight out of the commie construct of dialectical materialism. You see, it is the terminology. Right or wrong does not enter into the equation. A solution as simple as removing illegals to where they came from is explained away in a grammitcal construct that sounds nice but serves no good. There are laws Mr. Ruben. What you are trying to explain away is that laws have a sliding scale of execution based on the color of your skin and your country of origin. Mr. Ruben, you are an enabler of lawlessness. Which, I believe is the sole purpose of left wingers to their core.
“Here’s a simple question: are all illegal immigrants — by definition — criminals?”
I don’t know about “all”, but people who cross the border and evade immigration authorities are, in fact, guilty of a crime. If you get caught sneaking across the border, you can get up to six months in jail for a first offense, and up to two years if you get caught a second time.
It’s in the U.S. Code.
Then the law needs to be changed.
You have to be a special kind of intellectually dishonest to say that people who commit crimes are not criminals. To do so cements that you have no credibility.
Ruben,
A simple question. How can illegals survive without constantly breaking the law? They are not permitted to file for welfare nor to work without proper documentation. The remaining sources of income are criminal activity or charity. Only charity is legal and it is far more costly for the giver to support them here than where they were before. Crossing the border may be a mere civil offense but it is almost impossible to do anything legally after the border is crossed.
The argument appears to be based on the fact that entering the country illegally is not included in Title 18: Crimes, but is instead included in Title 8, as Fantom noted. Nice try. A technicality, since Title 18 are crimes committed within US territorial jurisdiction, wheras the violations involved in entering the country illegally do not really occur on US soil itself, but before you actually enter fully into it. No crime occurs wholly within the US itself in the process of entering illegally.
Posts # 3 and # 2? Hear! Hear!
This creep’s dead creepy.
And (although, thank God, I’ve never met an individual “latino” criminal alien I didn’t like – can’t say the same for some of the western Asians!) every illegal alien becomes a criminal alien the second he obtains false documents to pass himself off as a a resident alien — and/or registers himself and 23 of his cousins in Bolivia — or Tunisia — and votes in our elections!
Thirty-five million (vast criminal enterprises known as the) “Democratic” potty incited, encouraged and facilitated invading and hostilely-colonizing criminal aliens — and counting! God save us.
Way to go, Mr Jr.
#2′s way to go, that is!
If they need to be here in order to feed their families, let them petition for asylum. We are merciful, and quick to help those in need. Let them come, if they desire to work to improve their lives and the lives of their children through hard work and diligence, but let them do so openly, with humble hearts, not thinking themselves entitled to anything but being eager to earn a better life. “Give me your tired, your poor, your wretched, your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free.” We ought to have an equivalent to Ellis Island on our Southern border, where honest people can sign up to enter into the country after passing a health inspection and criminal background check. That said, noncitizens have no place claiming welfare benefits in any state, for they are guests.
So doing something illegal is not a crime…
Libtard logic on display.
Sorry, Ruben…they are criminals for breaking the law, first our immigration laws by entering illegally or intentionally overstaying their visas and secondly by their willful continued illegal poresence in the U.S. by working illegally (breaking our laws again) and/or availing themselves of public services that were meant as temporary coverage for American citizens.
The defect is simply that the laws are written in too lax a way.
Being here illegally should be a felony by itself.
I gotta say…I was pretty concerned until I started reading the comments. MANY thanks to Fantom (#20) for the excellent info and validation of what we all instinctively knew.
I grew up in Michigan and every year we had Mexican migrant workers come up to pick fruit. They would follow the crops and go home at the end of the season. It was a win-win. There were never any problems until they stopped going home. Once they stopped going home they stopped picking fruit and instead availed themselves of Michigan’s generous welfare largess.
If you’re in the country illegally you are, by definition, an illegal alien and a criminal. Do you think you would not be considered a criminal if your were in France or Germany illegally? How about Iran?
I thought I recognozed this guy from over at the Marxist CNN. Why bother. He’s just here to try to convince us that right is wrong and wrong is right. He’s a liberal with fuzzy logic that doesn’t pass the smell test. So long Ruben, you’re not worth the time to read. I’ve read your crap before and it is just so much waste.
And black cats are not black? So what is your point, Ruben?
Fantom has the primary citation.
I would just add the note that the Title 18 referred to in that section is . . .
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sup_01_18.html
“Crimes and Criminal Procedure”
So it is a crime.
They are criminals.
They are subject to imprisonment.
How many other ways does that have to be demonstrated?
Semantics don’t trump facts. Anyone who violates EITHER criminal OR civil code(s) is breaking the law. Which is what being a “criminal” means. (Calling someone a “civilal” still wouldn’t change the fact that a law or laws have been broken.)
Just because an offense doesn’t kill or otherwise harm someone outright doesn’t mean it doesn’t have huge consequences, hence the need to create a law in the first place.
Illegal is illegal. Change the wording if you like, but it’s like Mammy said about Rhett and Scarlett: Dressed up or not, they’re still mules in horse harness.
The point being is that Mr. Ruben tries to blur the lines constantly on the illegal alien problem. Seeing as around 80% of illegal aliens are Latino, one can only put two and two together and surmise Ruben is a racist.
Now as to being a “liar”. Well Mr Ruben tries to parse the language to such a degree that he has 12-20 million illegal aliens dancing on the head of an “overstayed visa” pin and calling such non-criminal.
Let us take a look at that.
Established is the fact that those who cross the Boarder illegally are criminals subject to jail as a misdemeanor on the first offense and as a felony upon the second offense. This accounts for somewhere betwixt 60-80% of all illegal aliens in the USA. Established criminals. This is the “wetback” portion of the problem.
Now as too those who overstay their visa, Mr Ruben’s pinhead dancing of non-criminality. Those account for about 3-4 million as best I can determine in a short look. And amongst those only those who “brain fart” and forget what day they are s’popsed to get their non-American behinds out of our country are perhaps only guilty of “technical” violation of our law.. I.E. a criminal.
Those aliens who enter with a non-immigrant visa and “overstay” with the intent of becoming a immigrant are as guilty of a crime as any of the “wetback” group.
To wit: “8 U.S.C. § 1325 : US Code – Section 1325: Improper entry by alien
(3) attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United
States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the
willful concealment of a material fact, shall, for the first
commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18 or
imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both, and, for a subsequent
commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18, or
imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both.”
By mis-representing their intent to illegally immigrate into our country they have committed the very same misdemeanor/felony as any who just swam a river. They are criminals. Even if only by one day they overstay.
That we do not incarcerate, but rather deport, is not an issue as too criminality. They could be prosecuted, and jailed.
Mr. Navarette jr., I consider my self an Hispanic instead of a Latino..I don’t speak Latin nor anyone from the Central or South American countries that I know of…The Spaniards conquered the Americas, not the Romans…
Mr Navarette, do you realize 53% of immigrants, legal and illegal, use welfare benefits?
The reason it has to use the legal/ illegal basis is due to these families possessing 14th Amendment children.
Can you imagine the %age of illegal aliens numbers of itself?
Greater than 60% of the U.S. receives more Government subsidies than they pay in taxes! Think ‘Greece-lite’ FOR NOW.
That’s unsustainable for a country to exist. Even a criminal appeaser like yourself can see this..
What a moronic, self destructive cause you stand for. Encouraging the destruction of our country. People of your ilk are the sickest form of citizenry..
While being in America illegally, by whatever means, may not be a felony level crime, it is still a crime. However, the real issue is once here, illegal aliens end up breaking far more & far more serious laws. From welfare fraud to stolen-forged social security cards, to fake drivers licenses, to all other sorts of identity theft crimes.
In short, small crimes beget larger crimes. Its the only way they can get jobs. Take away the ability to get jobs & illegal aliens will find its better to return to the homeland than to stay here. Collecting welfare payments as an illegal alien will only infuriate citizens as they face serious economic decline. And taking jobs from American citizens, and BTW Americans will do ANY job… just watch the TV show “dirty Jobs” as actual evidence of that, is also only going to infuriate citizens.
At least one political party thinks granting amnesty will gain them a large lot of loyal voters, so those political types push for amnesty. They ‘might’ be right. However, when one surveys many aliens, whether current or former.. legal or illegal, one finds many of them actually are conservative in nature & they think respect for the law is vitally important to any society.
Hatching a system that handles the import of alien workers in a more expeditious manner would solve much of this. Seriously securing our most porous southern border would also slow down the entry of many new illegal aliens. It would do even more good at slowing the flow of illegal drugs & other criminal activities, not to mention possibly thwarting the entry of terrorists.
Telling Americans ‘they really did not commit a serious crime,’ or ‘its not that bad of a crime,’ is as disingenuous as every other reason we should allow our borders to go unprotected. That logic fails to recognize the very real fact that ANY nation that does not secure its borders or control entry of non-citizens, risks losing control of its legal system & chaos in the streets.
So, it is a crime Ruben…. just not a felony. But, a crime is still, a crime, & a criminal is still a criminal!
If all local and federal labor and tax laws were obeyed, then much of the economic advantage gained by employers of illegal aliens would disappear. The increased costs of products and services would of course be passed on to consumers; however, this would be counteracted by decreases in social costs (although it’s doubtful that the government would return such savings to citizen taxpayers).
With slight increases in the pay levels along with the benefit required by law, this would go a long way toward solving our unemployment problems.
Even under such a scenario, it seems likely that we would still find ourselves with some level of labor shortage in agriculture, food services, construction and real estate maintenance services. However, the true level of such shortages would be accurately revealed – as opposed to endless speculation about “jobs Americans won’t do”.
Then we can add a well designed guest worker program with carefully determined levels each year and enforce our existing laws at the point of employment. To be hired you have to be either a citizen, on a visa or in the guest worker program – otherwise, immediate deportation for any illegal worker and stiff penalties for the employer.
If we had a government that looked for fair and optimal solutions, this would have a chance. However, with today’s political class, it is all about them and the acquisition of power and control.
paul-unalaska, Because 83% of statistics are just made up, you need to provide a source for your numbers. Otherwise we will conclude that you pulled them from out of the air.
That anti-semite who commented above is weird aint he? Does he come here often?
@Roy, you have to be a Semite before you can call someone else an anti-Semite !!!
From Houston Chronicle
“A 2007 analysis of welfare data by researchers at the Urban Institute reveals that less than 1 percent of households headed by undocumented immigrants receive cash assistance for needy families, compared to 5 percent of households headed by native-born U.S. citizens. ”
“A 2007 analysis of U.S. Census data by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities makes clear that it is the U.S.-born, U.S.-citizen children of undocumented immigrants who are eligible for programs such as Medicaid and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program
(SCHIP). The analysis found that, between 1995 and 2005, the share of low-income, non- citizen immigrant children (either undocumented or legally present) who received Medicaid or SCHIP dropped from 36 percent to 30 percent. “
Hey, Lynn #26…
Gaming the welfare system…a crime.
I used to work for the WIC Program in California. There was absolutely no verification of eligibility. All that was required was a hispanic baby and a declaration of no husband. Right….even just out of college I recognized a scam when I saw it. Mexicans are conservative Catholics. THEY ALL MARRY.
You can’t go anywhere in my neighborhood without seeing a hispanic woman age 15- 45 pushing a stroller filled with a newly minted “meal ticket”.
Thanks for the perspective.
Just the ones who are behind bars? I personally know victims of two MURDERS perpetrated by illegals from Central America. Had they never come here or been deported two lovely people would be alive today. You might have heard of one of the cases: a woman hired a contractor to clean her deck. As she was getting dressed to go out, one of his “undocumneted” workers forced his way into her house, grabbed a knife, and gutted her. This was in an affluent suburb near NYC. She left a husband, two small children, and a large grieving family. The other was knifed to death in the street of a small town by another “non-criminal” who was drunk. Two unnecessary deaths of two Americans. You are a desperado my friend. It doesn’t matter what verbal deodorant you spray around, your position still stinks. You have yet to address the violent crimes committed by illegals, the theft of our property because they steal from Americans to support themselves and on and on. Why don’t you give up the ghost already. You are partial to your own ethnic kind and yet you have the gall to call everyone who disagrees with you a bigot or a racist. You are the bigot. You have no problem inflicting harm on the average American if it means pushing your ethnic preferences to the fore. Bigotry wears several masks. Look in the mirror.
Its always nice to see what you will try next to prop up your racist ideology…
The simple fact is that the vast majority of ppl who oppose illegal aliens most of all mexican illegals are very sympathetic to their plight… if fact they are likely way more sympathetic to their plight then ppl like you and your racist leftwinger friends.
Mexico and most of “latin” American is a racist crime ridden hell hole… or as someone like you would say a “socialist utopia”.
Ppl like couldn’t care less about other then helping them come here and create another “socialist utopia” within the borders of the US.
If you want to be sympathetic to their plight you need to step up and make the hard choices to help them…. which means first and foremost getting them to understand that they can fight and change their homelands… but that they have to give up their leftwing views and endorse capitalism, freedom and liberty….
If you want to help them having them come here and refusing to not only not address their ideology which caused their homelands to fall apart and stay broken but also that millions who can’t come here still live in those “socialist utopias”… how about some sympathetic to for their plight… how about it ruben…?
If you really want to help these ppl then forcing them to both face reality and fight for their freedom is the only thing you can do… and that means in part preventing them from entering the US.
The problem though is you want the US to end up just like every other “socialist utopia”…. so forcing them to change is out of the question… they are the slaves you wish them to be… their countries have “approved” thought and now its just a matter of bringing that “approved” thought to the US.
Ruben racists like you are responsible for all the death that happens in mexico and countless other south american countries. Until you can admit to yourself your own problems you and they will never change and never pull it together… instead you work to destroy a functioning society because your racist superiority complex can’t deal with the fact that you could be wrong.
On a little further consideration, however, it seems that the solution is actually pretty simple. But it is a pill for both sides to swallow, nevertheless. First, make it a federal crime to cross the border illegally. This straitens out any obscurity concerning what to do with border-hoppers after that precedent. Second, is to allow a path for citizenship, which would include a penalty, for all illegal aliens in the country.
It might as well be a cyanide pill for Republicans, but maybe not. I mean as long as the Constitution is obeyed it seems that there shouldn’t be any fear about Democrats having a default majority. (I know that this is the very question these days, but nothing much has been accomplished by Obama really so far, and even if they were to, say, unconstitutionally mandate health insurance it is easily defeated by having guts like the first Tea Party and refusing it.)
I’m sorry, but it is our fault, really, for not having the proper laws in place. And I know that the idea of Democrats scooping up all their votes also makes me sick, but there is no fair solution. If we sacrifice illegal immigrants on the alter of passion I fear that we do more harm to ourselves in the end of such a course. For it is God that decides where men will go and where nations shall be, and if their crime is equivalent to a traffic violation I would have no clear conscience in condemning them.
The truth of some of these great conundrums in America right now is that we are not defeated, but must find a reconciliation among ourselves. I mean this, that before Obama was in office there was no hope, and now, we have hope in taking him out. He has actually brought us together. Consolidated conservatives to a certain extent. Illegals serve a similar function. They expose how lazy and ungrateful Americans have become. Now we can correct ourselves. And the truth about the last election is that the Dems deserved it, because they were doing the foot work to win. If we don’t do it in 2012 we will still not be deserving.
Back to the illegal immigrants, it is not a lost cause for conservatives. Many illegal immigrants are Catholics. They have minds they can be shown the light. They are, perhaps, anti-abortion. For me, this was the crux in not voting for Obama, and for many of them it will be too.
I have two problems with this article.
1. He is taking his information and position from a lawyer. If that lawyer is still in the Obama administration, then regardless of whether he is squishy or not does not change his bias. Lawyers lie. Lawyers exist for the job and for themselves. Justice or law may or may not be part of the equation. Remember that. How else can the DOJ employ lawyers to work cases on the same terrorists those lawyers defended? That’s like asking the New York Giant defense to defend their offense on behalf of the Redskins team? Why show up?
2. At this point and time, along with Global warming, we can discount the worn theory that illegals will only do what Americans won’t. With 10% or higher unemployment, the question arises who should get work that will feed their family first? A citizen or a person who snuck across the border illegally. We don’t have the luxury of splitting hairs anymore. The illegals need to go back to their country and allow us to repair ours. We have a vested interest in doing this, they don’t. They can always go back to their home. We have only here. (A recent article pointed to this very fact. Mexicans are going home because there is no work for them here. Gee, thanks for hanging in with all that commitment to… Oh never mind.)
Lastly, as much as I don’t have a problem with someone trying to feed their family I do have to ask, with the billions sent back to Mexico every year, taking out of OUR economy, at which point does their families mean more than mine?
The law about illegal entry is there for a reason, and not to generate some kind of twisted mea culpa from the author.
One would think that what Tom Brokaw voiced over about Canada in NBC’s coverage of the Vancouver Olympics, before the Opening Ceremonies started, would have penetrated more heads.
The United States is a nation of immigrants. By using moral equivalence to remove the distinction between legal immigration and illegal immigration, says a lot about those folk, and it hardly paints a pleasant picture.
Ruben;
I sincerely hope you have followed comments to your page and now fully realize trying to paint an ‘alternate picture’ and change name from ILLEGAL ALIEN to something other doesn’t work very well @ PJM.
We will rant (politely) when we feel the urge. I see 56 comments to your article right now, and with quick review, nearly 100% (like myself) disagree with you rather strongly.
I myself am pleased you did this post. I don’t really read a lot of what you’ve authored in the past, the few I did had my suspicions going, but I chose to write it off and read what interested me, like Climategate, Tea Party, and dysfunctional DEMS (the vast majority of them). You’ve let the ‘cat out of the bag’, you have informed us of where you speak/write from.
Mexico’s Immigration Law: Let’s Try It Here at Home
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=14632
Certainly you wouldnt have a problem with that Ruben.
I don’t always agree with Ruben (He was wrong to support Sotomayor, who jumped on the WRONG side of the campaign fianance SC decision).
But he does offer some interesting perspective on the immigration issue. I certainly don’t consider undocumented immigrants as “criminals”. Illegal aliens, but criminals, no.
So the discussion is whether or not to enforce the law? Who decides which laws should be enforced and which shouldn’t? Hey an idea! Make a law about which laws should be enforced. Then again who enforces that law?….. My brain is melting.
When you make it against the law to do something that violates no one’s rights (to life, liberty and property) – such as merely entering the country – you create lots of “criminals” that really aren’t.
Unless an “illegal alien” has killed, robbed or defrauded someone he is not a criminal. That his actions are illegal speaks of the wrongness of the law, not of his actions.
Scrap all laws that criminalize non rights violating actions and this muddle disappears. Since this is the usual sticking point: I’m pretty sure these people would gladly waive any claim to all wellfare entitlements in order to be legally in the USA. If they wanted socialism, they’d have plenty of other countries they could go to after all.
Ruben
The problem with your essay is not that you attempt to appeal to the compassion of a particular audience. It is not even that you know that said audience has a strong inclination toward reducing the border infiltration of their homeland.
The problem, Ruben, is that you break nearly every tenet of proper argumentation and persuasion, utilizing virtually every textbook fallacy.
Let’s examine the whole of your argument.
Examples of Fallacies
1. Inductive Argument
Premise 1: Most illegal immigrants are not doing anything illegal
Premise 2: Bill is in America illegally.
Conclusion: Bill is not doing anything else illegally and therefore has committed no crime
2. Factual Error
Most illegal aliens don’t commit any other illegal acts.
Illegal aliens enter this country in order to “feed their families”
(Where are the statistics to back up the following inquiries?
1. What percentage of gang crimes committed in areas heavily populated by undocumented or falsely documented persons? You might want to tell your audience about the impact on crime by :
18th Street
Formed in Los Angeles, 18th Street Membership is estimated at 30,000 to 50,000. In California approximately 80 percent of the gang’s members are illegal aliens from Mexico and Central America. The gang is active in 44 cities in 20 states. Its main source of income is street-level distribution of cocaine and marijuana and, to a lesser extent, heroin and methamphetamine. Gang members also commit assault, auto theft, carjacking, drive-by shootings, extortion, homicide, identification fraud, and robbery.
Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (National)
The gang’s primary source of income is the street-level distribution of powder cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin, and marijuana. Latin Kings continue to portray themselves as a community organization while engaging in a wide variety of criminal activities, including assault, burglary, homicide, identity theft, and money laundering.
Florencia 13
Florencia 13 (F 13 or FX 13) originated in Los Angeles gang membership is estimated at more than 3,000 members. The gang operates primarily in California and increasingly in Arkansas, Missouri, New Mexico, and Utah. Florencia 13 is subordinate to the Mexican Mafia (La Eme) prison gang and claims Sureños (Sur 13) affiliation. A primary source of income for gang members is the trafficking of cocaine and methamphetamine. Gang members smuggle multikilogram quantities of powder cocaine and methamphetamine obtained from supply sources in Mexico into the United States for distribution. Florencia members are involved in other criminal activities, including assault, drive-by shootings, and homicide
Fresno Bulldogs
Fresno Bulldogs is a street gang that originated in Fresno, California, Bulldogs is the largest Hispanic gang operating in central California, with membership estimated at 5,000 to 6,000. Gang members associate with Nuestra Familia (NF) members, particularly when trafficking drugs. The street-level distribution of methamphetamine, marijuana, and heroin is a primary source of income for gang members. In addition, members are involved in other criminal activity, including assault, burglary, homicide, and robbery.
Mara Salvatrucha
Mara Salvatrucha, also known as MS 13, is one of the largest Hispanic street gangs in the United States. Traditionally, the gang consisted of loosely affiliated groups known as cliques; however, law enforcement officials have reported increased coordination of criminal activity among Mara Salvatrucha cliques in the Atlanta, Dallas, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and New York metropolitan areas. The gang is estimated to have 30,000 to 50,000 members and associate members worldwide, 8,000 to 10,000 of whom reside in the United States. Members smuggle illicit drugs, primarily powder cocaine and marijuana, into the United States and transport and distribute the drugs throughout the country. Some members also are involved in alien smuggling, assault, drive-by shootings, homicide, identity theft, prostitution operations, robbery, and weapons trafficking.
Sureños and Norteños
As individual Hispanic street gang members enter prison systems, they put aside former rivalries with other Hispanic street gangs and unite under the name Sureños or Norteños. The original Mexican Mafia members, most of whom were from southern California, considered Mexicans from the rural, agricultural areas of northern California weak and viewed them with contempt. To distinguish themselves from the agricultural workers or farmers from northern California, members of Mexican Mafia began to refer to the Hispanic gang members who worked for them as Sureños (Southerners).
Inmates from northern California became known as Norteños (Northerners) and are affiliated with Nuestra Familia. Because of its size and strength, Fresno Bulldogs is the only Hispanic gang in the California Department of Corrections (CDC) that does not fall under Sureños or Norteños but remains independent.
Sureños gang members’ main sources of income are retail-level distribution of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and methamphetamine within prison systems and in the community as well as extortion of drug distributors on the streets.
Some members have direct links to Mexican DTOs and broker deals for Mexican Mafia as well as their own gang. Sureños gangs also are involved in other criminal activities such as assault, carjacking, home invasion, homicide, and robbery.
Norteños gang members’ main sources of income are the retail-level distribution of cocaine, heroin, marijuana, methamphetamine, and PCP within prison systems and in the community as well as extortion of drug distributors on the streets.
Norteños gangs also are involved in other criminal activities such as assault, carjacking, home invasion, homicide, and robbery.
3. Deductive Fallacy
Premise 1: If Chicago is the capital of Illinois, then it is in Illinois.
Premise 2: Chicago IS in Illinois.
Conclusion: Chicago is the capital of Illinois.
(Chicago is in Illinois, but Springfield is the capital. Chicago is the largest city, but that doesn’t make it the capital)
4. Inductive Fallacy
Premise 1: Having just arrived in America, I committed no crime.
Conclusion: All entrants to America, upon first arriving are committing no crime.
(While there are many, many entrants to America, the ones who come here illegally, are MUCH more likely to be involved in criminal enterprise).
“These income gaps are fueled by parental and educational disparities. In 2007, the birth rate among Hispanic women aged 15 to 19 was 82 per 1,000, which was nearly twice the birth rate among all women in that demographic.
Hispanics lag well behind the general population when it comes to finishing high school: The dropout rate among Hispanics aged 16 to 24 is 17.2 percent, compared with 9.3 percent among non-Hispanic blacks and 5.7 percent among non-Hispanic whites. That is a result of the staggeringly high dropout rate (32.9 percent) among first-generation Hispanic immigrants.”
In other words, Ruben…children of illegal immigrants are coming here and dropping out of school, joining gangs, living at 200 percent below the poverty level and requiring that the rest of America provide for them…while they have babies of their own at age 15-19.
Close to a third of Hispanics aged 16 to 25 can identify a past or present gang member among their family and friends. Once again, there is a divide between the foreign-born and native-born–but it’s not the divide you might expect. Native-born Hispanic youths (especially those of Mexican descent) are actually much more likely to know a gang member than are young Hispanic immigrants. They’re also more likely to get in fights, carry weapons, and be questioned by the police.
The illegal immigrants who come here and have children, place those children in a situation whereby they have a one in three chance of having a relative or friend who is in a street gang. They live in conditions conducive to gang participation, to obtain and carry weapons, to get in fights and to engage in criminal activity.
These data raise serious concerns about Hispanic mobility and assimilation. So do recent health-care statistics. Columnist Robert Samuelson points out that Hispanics accounted for roughly 60 percent of the growth of America’s uninsured between 1999 and 2008. By the end of that period, Hispanics represented less than 16 percent of the overall U.S. population but 31.4 percent of those who lacked health insurance at any given time, according to the Census Bureau.
The 2008 National Health Interview Survey found that 34 percent of non-elderly (under age 65) Hispanics reported being uninsured, compared with just 14 percent of non-elderly non-Hispanics.
About 43 percent of those uninsured Hispanics said they had never been insured, compared with only 15 percent of the non-Hispanic uninsured.
Not only is illegal immigration impacting our criminal justice system, taxing our welfare system, dragging down our education system, it is also impacting TRILLIONS of dollars worth of legislative “redistribution” efforts against those taxpayers.
In this country, we have a plan to deal with the health care system…which is “broken” and needs “repair. Yet, an enormous part of the problem is tied directly with the failure to deal with the problem of uncontrolled illegal immigration.
As Samuelson indicates, the uncertainty of immigration flows makes it difficult to predict how much the Democrats’ healthcare legislation would reduce the number of uninsured. Over the past few decades, the Hispanic population has exploded. Latin America provided half of all the immigrants who came to the U.S. between 1965 (when LBJ dramatically liberalized the immigration system) and 2008; Mexico alone provided 29 percent.
The Census Bureau calculates that Hispanics made up almost one-sixth of the U.S. population in 2008. As Pew observes, they had a much bigger population share in certain states, such as New Mexico (45.1 percent), California (36.6 percent), Texas (36.2 percent), and Arizona (30.2 percent).
Twenty-five percent of all American children under age five were Hispanic, as were 22 percent of all children under 18. The median age of Hispanics (27.7) was more than nine years lower than the median age of the entire population (36.8). Hispanic females have a substantially higher fertility rate than black, white, and Asian women. The Census Bureau has projected that approximately one out of every four U.S. residents will be Hispanic by mid-century.
That’s why Hispanic social mobility is so critically important to America’s future. Unfortunately, says Duke University economist Jacob Vigdor, the children of Mexican immigrants appear to be “assimilating down” into an underclass culture.
So much about contemporary Mexican immigration is unprecedented, he adds: America has never absorbed such a massive and continuous flow of migrants from one country for such an extended period; and no U.S. immigrant group has ever been so heavily undocumented.
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Assimilating+down:+the+trends+concerning+Hispanic+mobility+should…-a0217605320
Mexico shoots to kill illegals crossing it’s southern border. Because they’re not criminals they’re looking for a better life. Because they’re too shiftless to fix their own.
Ruben, I make the above points not to suggest that there aren’t many wonderful, outstanding, magnificent folks among those who have come into this country illegally. Or that many of their children are not also equally wonderful.
The point is, Ruben…the very nature of sneaking into this country under false pretenses gives rise to the seedlings of a life in the shadows. Teen pregnancy, gang violence, drugs, high school dropout rates…the whole bag of horrors.
And it’s a bit disingenuous to suggest that “taking care of one’s family” is a primary objective, when the above life is described. A 19 year old sneaking through a tunnel dug underground isn’t thinking about feeding anyone back home.
True, an enormous amount of AMERICAN earned dollars go back to the “real homeland”, without paying any fair share of what it takes to educate their children, pave the streets, provide sanitation services, postal services and the like.
But the families they need to feed…are usually right here. Perhaps if all this effort went instead to improving the conditions and prospects of their own country of origin, we would be better served.
We could assist in building businesses, farms, hospitals, schools right across the border and let the governments of those countries provide free health care to its own citizens, if they so desire.
Let all who came here legally, advance and prosper. Let those who came here illegally and their children, be given a chance to pioneer the uplifting of their native homeland, to advance and prosper on their native soil, with our assistance in the building of an infrastructure that can “feed their families”.
Wouldn’t that be the most honorable, decent thing to do for all concerned?
That’s a nice suit you have on there, Mr. Emperor, sir! Yep, made of the finest thread. Sold to you fair and square, no cutting corners, no underage workers, no below-minimum-wage labor here. In fact, we are the very model of ‘onesty and seevility. Legal is as legal does, I always say!
64. Pedro Carleial ‘I’m pretty sure these people would gladly waive any claim to all wellfare entitlements in order to be legally in the USA’
I work in a hospital in an area with a large legal as well as illegal immigrant population and believe me the vast majority of legal immigrants cling to their welfare. I see more medicaid cards with hispanic names than just about any other.
Mr. Navarrette, would you happen to have a front door on your residence?
If so, is there a lock on it?
Why?
Catholics encourage illegal immigration after losses from
molestation scandal.
As countless child sex abuse scandals have rocked the Catholic Church over the last several years, American families have been leaving the church in droves. As American men and women whisk away their children from the potential risk of molestation in the Catholic church, they also take their much needed money. The coffers of U.S. Catholic churches have been running on empty and the church sees the pocketbooks of illegal immigrants as its only hope.
During Pope Benedict XVI?s 2008 visit to the United States, he gave many speeches and sermons. Among other things, the Pope admonished Americans to adopt a welcoming attitude toward those who break our laws by entering this country illegally. Benedict said: “I want toencourage you and your communities to continue to welcome the immigrants who join your ranks today, to share their joys and hopes, to support them in their sorrows and trials and to help them flourish in their new home.”
It was discovered that the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, a Vatican-based group which answers directly to the Pope has made a large donation to help build a shelter for Central Americans on their illegal journey to the United States. The money was given to the Brothers On The Path refuge, located in the Mexican city of Ixtepec.
In June 2005, Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony wrote an op-ed piece for the Los Angeles Times in which he defended and even encouraged illegal aliens to enter this country. Of course, Mexicans and other Latin Americans are overwhelmingly devout Catholics. Mahony along with the rest of the church?s hierarchy is undoubtedly anxious to tap this potential source of income.
In 2006, Cardinal Mahony directed all priests in his 288 parish
archdiocese to simply ignore any federal law which requires anyone
working on behalf of the church to inquire into the citizenship of
anyone seeking help (The Catholic church offers assistance to illegal aliens applying for various welfare programs). The directive was given by Mahony in response to the immigration bill passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in December 2005, which declared all illegal aliens and mandated the prosecution to anyone who knowingly aided an illegal alien.
For decades, the Catholic Church shielded and protected
child-molesting priests. As complaints would come pouring-in from
parents threatening to involve the police, the church would simply
ship the offending priest off on a sabbatical, eventually pawning them off on another unsuspecting parish where the process would begin again. That practice is nothing more than aiding and abetting known criminals. The enormous toll of lives destroyed by this disgusting and cowardly exercise by the Catholic Church will never be fully known.
http://www.examiner.com/x-5919-Norfolk-Crime-Examiner~y2009m4d5-Catholic-Church-encourages-illegal-immigration-after-losses-from-molestation-scandal
Following your logic to it’s bitter end; If there were no laws, there would be no criminals. Works for me. I have a long list of people that really need shooting. I don’t work that list because it is illegal.
Now if you can just get more people ( about 100 million would do it) to agree that breaking the law doesn’t make you a criminal, I can get started on my list.
*Standing Ovation for cfbleachers!!!*
He’s right.
You’re not a criminal if you break the traffic laws. It works the same way for Illegals. It doesn’t become a criminal offense until after multiple offenses.
That doesn’t change the fact that they need to deport them.
cfbleachers,
Regarding the ‘dragging down our education system’, Maryland, ‘The #1 public education system in the country’ has this response. If you can’t teach ‘em.. get a waiver!
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Waivers-for-Md-graduation-tests-could-be-extended-84530877.html
Mr. Navarette, further proof of 3rd Worlders banking on our Bolshevik-like Government’s empathy..
The author of this article engages in
a criminally poor and misleading attempt at journalism.
Why does PJM wish to be associated with such rubbish?
(I’m being generous by putting this is the passive; PJM actively pays for this junk.)
76. paul_unalaska:
cfbleachers,
Regarding the ‘dragging down our education system’, Maryland, ‘The #1 public education system in the country’ has this response. If you can’t teach ‘em.. get a waiver!
http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/Waivers-for-Md-graduation-tests-could-be-extended-84530877.html
Mr. Navarette, further proof of 3rd Worlders banking on our Bolshevik-like Government’s empathy..
—————————————————————–
If Maryland has the best public school system our country is really screwed. I was subjected to the PG county system and it was abysmal.
Just like the guy who breaks into your house without permission and eats the food you were planning to cook for tonight’s meal, drinks your beer and watches your TV. Just because he does the dishes, puts the empty bottles on the table and turns down the ssound on the TV doesn’t mean he isn’t a criminal!
Phranc,
Virginia has Prince William County to be ‘oh so proud of’ as well..
Mr. Navarette, here’s a few title ideas for your next article regarding your ‘logic’.
‘Illegal aliens deserve state, federal aid and therefore are not stealing from U.S. taxpayers’
‘Illegal aliens deserve in-state tuition’
‘Illegal aliens do not bog down the education, courts, prison system’
‘Illegal aliens are assimilating (haha, I recall you HAD written an article with the same headline!)’
‘Illegal alien neighbors improve the value of your home’
‘Illegal aliens are not a bog on our system’
Please stop buying this neocon lie that the illegal aliens are catholic conservatives. It just not true !!! If it was, then half of South America would not be communism/socialist and the other half constantly be flirting with communism ! Mexico would be communist decades ago except their leaders were gunned down en-masse. Remember that Mexico almost became communist/socialist in their last election. These are not nations of conservatives, they are nations of people ready and eager to be told that the rich whites are the source of their problems. Further, they are NOT “all” devout Catholics. At best, the prominant religion is the hispanic nations is “animus” a melding of ancient nature worship melded to western Christianity. Hardly the pious Catholic church goer/family man of legend. Sadly, the corrupt Catholic church is, in fact, explioting the southern invasion to fill their pews, however, the ugly truth is that they get maybe 1 out of 20-50 illegal invaders. The rest are basically lawless and scary. They now that hey have no real responsiblity here and that is they get caught doing something they are most likely to get away with it scott free after they run off after being released on bail. If the illegal alien invaders and their anchor babies (the constitution does NOT make citizens out of the babies of aliens who are here illegaly, only those here legally !!!) are not expelled asap this nation is headed for a VERY bad future.
Ruben has never been a clear thinker. Let’s remember, after, he is a journalist. so we cut him some slack and don’t call him a fool, which he clearly demonstrates every time he writes. But we’ll be nice. He wants to splt hairs. Walking across the bridge, or wading the river, or climbing a fence, or crawling through a tunnel to enter is not a crime unless some other crime is committed in conjunction with the illegal entry.
You know what? I don’t care. Shoot ‘em when you catch ‘em and let God figure it out.
I must respectfully disagree. They’re here and they’re using serives that American taxpayers pay for (education, hospitals, etc.) for free.
For example: Schools is southern California have a high percentage of students who are illegal immigrants. According to our laws, they are entitled to go to school. But hard-working, LEGAL Californians have to pay for this through their taxes. Meanwhile illegal immigrants are allowed to work tax-free and collect many of the same services that legal citizens receive.
I am all in favor of immigration. But I favor legal immigration. I believe everyone who works should contribute fairly to the tax revenue.
From http://criminal-law.freeadvice.com/criminal-law/civil_offense_crime.htm
“A civil offense is an infraction of a law that is not a crime. This may be something like a routine traffic offense such as speeding. The only penalty for a civil offense is a fine. A crime is a violation of the law that is punishable by a fine or a jail sentence. A Class Three or Class Four misdemeanor in Virginia is only punishable by a fine. These may be violations of noise ordinances or other offenses not involving injuries to other persons or their property. A Class One misdemeanor is punishable by up to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine. A Class Two misdemeanors are punishable by 6 months in jail and a $1,000 fine. Felonies are punishable by one or more years in prison and fines of up to $100,000.”
Sorry, but to most laymen, a civil offense is still a “crime”. A misdemeanor, maybe, but still a crime. The distinction is deep lawyer stuff, and not terribly relevant.
In any case, the term “illegal” still applies. They are “illegal immigrants”. They did something “illegal” by entering the country or overstaying a visa, just like speeders and noise violators did something illegal.
“You’re arguing for something that is simply wrong, out of a misplaced sense of ethnic solidarity. As an American, you should care when our laws are broken, no matter who breaks them.” – JR Dogman
Brilliant!
85@Randall Hoven
Like traffic tickets, penalties were reduced to infractions because jails were overflowing, and not some innocuous property of the offense. Navarrette employs the usual shoulder-shrug of an unevolved non-thinker while embracing the Vatican’s progrom to undo the enlightenment and reformation by surreptitious demographic warfare
Navarette is a professional mexican.
He makes a living by insisting that hispanicity is a form of divinity; therefore all actions by hispanics are good and right.
I want to see him write an affirmation that any anglo is entitled to illegally enter Mexico and demand free medical care, welfare and education for himself, his family, and his extended family.
But I won’t hold my breath until he does so.
Yeah, and standing in the middle of my living room isn’t a crime either. But, if you got there by breaking my window & entering at night with the intent to steal something, it’s called BURGLARY.
Also, making a distinction between civil and criminal offenses is not the same as making a distinction between LEGAL and ILLEGAL. In other words, it’s a distinction without a difference. AND, there’s only one reason to make such a distinction — to disingenuously suggest that an ILLEGAL immigrant’s presence in America is not ILLEGAL. Only an ass would make such a distinction.
You write, “Believe it or not, the mere act of being in the country illegally isn’t a crime.”
In other words, what you’re saying is “Believe it or not, not everything illegal is criminal — some are civil wrongs.”
Uh, yeah, we know. We live here.
68. cfbleachers:
“the very nature of sneaking into this country under false pretenses gives rise to the seedlings of a life in the shadows.
And if it didn’t?
cfbleachers,
Strong, factual comments.
Thank you.
In other words, entering the country illegally isn’t much more serious than getting a traffic ticket: you violated a rule, but you’re not a criminal.
Well, these non-criminal illegals commit a lot of violent crimes. Then they glut our prisons and we taxpayers have to support them.
You can gloss over this as much as you want, Ruben, but it’s still wrong. Take your legal-ese and stuff it.
Ruben is right.
He is not making a leftist argument. He is making a libertarian argument and is able to distinguish man’s law from natural law. Mexico does need to change its ways, and terribly so. But those who come here to feed their families are no more breaking natural law than runaway slaves broke natural law to escape the Southern US a hundred years ago. Those who operated the Underground Railroad broke many laws, but not natural laws since the slaves were acting in their own self interest. The fact that some abuse the welfare system makes a very good case for gutting 90% of our welfare system, not for punishing those who harbor aliens.
Conservatives have a choice to make. I admit I have a missionary complex and wish conservatives would pour their effort into supporting hispanic conservative causes. The hispanic culture is a gold mine for future conservatism, with a culture of entrepreneurship, political incorrectness, prolife and profamily culture, and so forth. Please look down the road 50 to 100 years; realize our voices aren’t heard clearly in their culture, in the language of their self-interest. Conservatives should be out there pointing out how unions, government-run oil companies, lack of access to capital, etc, have kept Mexico backwards for generations, and why they shouldn’t support those leftists here who advocate the same. Preach it. Make it your cause to explain to the brainwashed South Americans why Cuba is a failure and why so many Cuban Americans tend towards very fiscal conservative and reject leftism. Support conservative hispanics like Marco Rubio. You won’t regret it 50 years from now.
A hundred years ago the black community listened to leftists and class warfarists like W E DuBois instead of entrepreneurs like Booker T. Washington, and we lost generations because of it. Don’t make the same mistake again.
As Dennis Miller once said, “When you back a liberal into a corner, he goes all semantic on you.” Similarly, that’s what Mr. Navarrette seems to be doing. His reasons aren’t clear, but their end result is to obfuscate the underlying fact that illegal immigrants shouldn’t be here, and that legal and economic enforcement of the laws here would get them to voluntarily (in most cases) go back to their country of origin.
Here’s a thought experiment for you…
The primary reason so many illegal immigrants are Hispanic is due to geographical proximity that offers easy access to the US. But, using liberal logic, isn’t this unfair? After all, why can’t millions of people from Asia and/or Africa come here illegally too? To remedy this, we should put a new tax on everybody, and use the money to ship in 50 million Asians without restriction from China and Southeast Asia. They will be encouraged to settle mostly in the southern states of the US, such as around what are now barrios and areas where a lot of Hispanics live. Then those 50 million Asians can start to enforce Mandarin (for example) on everybody including businesses, employees, local & state governments, schools, etc., etc. If they want they can also form their own gangs to control all the turf, collect tons of welfare, and in general overwhelm all other cultures and force them into minor importance.
And if you don’t like it, well then you are a racist. It sounds fair and compassionate to me, how about you?
wow this article sure got the Klan around here stirred up.
civil or criminal , it is still breaking the law… right?
If I violate a civil law, I’m still a lawbreaker. And if the law involves being somewhere I shouldn’t be, then I expect to be removed from that place at the very least, if not subject to penalties for violating the law.
Whether or not this makes me a ‘criminal’ is really parsing, Ruben, and unworthy of you. If I break the law, I don’t expect the law to do nothing about it.
Mr. Navarrette is wasting time and taking a paycheck for not very much work, if he was paid for this column.
A Libertarian Visits Mexico
by Jacob G. Hornberger, November 1998
http://www.fff.org/freedom/1198a.asp
“But there is actually only one solution to poverty in Mexico (and the rest of Latin America): prohibit government from combating poverty; that is, end all governmental involvement in education, Social Security, health care, and the economy, along with all the taxes, inflation, and regulations that come with them.”
“One evening, a friend of mine and I encountered two friendly students on the bus to Guanajuato. The city was overflowing with thousands of people and we had no hotel reservations. The two students went out of their way to guide us through the city and help us find a hotel. That night, we had supper with them as well as a friend of theirs. The three of them told us that their dream was to start a yogurt business and to have as little as possible to do with Mexican government officials.
We began discussing the illegal-alien situation in the United States and I shared with them my convictions. I said that what our government had done for decades to the Mexican people was absolutely horrible — that the people who go north to sustain or improve their lives with labor are not criminals….”
Ruben:
I see you don’t even have the huevos to pop in and defend your babble-points. I will note that you were not very successful of convincing a conservative but here to give ILLEGAL ALIENS ‘forgiveness’.
94: Cat:
“Conservatives should be out there pointing out how unions, government-run oil companies, lack of access to capital, etc, have kept Mexico backwards for generations”
History tells me it was many CORRUPTOCRATS in Mexico’s government, throughout the years, not at all as you’ve cited.
And my solution to the ‘open borders’ you’re leaning towards is assault rifles and a very armed border – heck, we’ve probably got plenty enough volunteers to handle that! 6 day week, 10 hour days, No PROBLEM – just need hotel with internet so my laptop and me can do normal banking/bill chores occasionally.
Lies as usual from Navarrette. 8 USC 1325 Improper entry by alien (illegal entry by an alien); 18 USC 1546. Fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents (Fraudulent entry at a Port-of-Entry by claiming to enter for lawful purposes, not to live illegally); 18 USC 1001 False Statement (Lying to an inspecting immigration officer about the true intent and purpose of an alien’s entry to the U.S.)
More of the typical lies of the amnesty advocates. While remaining in the U.S. in violation of the law is not a criminal offense, it is a immigration law violation for which you can be arrested and held in custody.
They are illegal aliens NOT immigrants! Immigrants are those people INVITED to migrate to the United Staes to become citizens. You may have noticed them passing through New York in the last two centuries. Furthermore, the majority..yeah you heard that right…have no interest in assimilating into this country but have the clear intention of taking it back via the La Raza, the racist politics and ideology of many of your community. I am sick of the lies and distortion surrounding this isssue. You should be ashamed. YOU are not an American! You can bet I would feel exactly the same if these aliens were coming from Europe rather than Mexico. Illegal Aliens!
BTW..you cheapen and dishonor the hard work, patriotism, and decency of all Mexican-Americans who came here legally who if you bothered to ask them..which I have…do not approve of the illegal invasion either.
But smoking crack is, and Ruben must have smoked a bunch to believe this.
Let’s see. The occupation of Spanish Florida in 1819-1821, The Indian Removal Act of 1830, Texas in 1845, then California,Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah,Nevada and parts of Wyoming in 1848. Minnesota and South Dakota from the sioux 1854-1890, Wounded Knee in 1890. Millions of mostly native blooded Mexicans are moving into the States you say?
WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND.
You do stand corrected Ruben. We have laws here. don’t tell us none are criminal’s.
ok, if you are here under legal conditions, then you are breaking the law ie illegal! if you are not a citizen then you are an alien. hence adjective illegal and noun alien describing a person here in this country when they should not be and using our services also assuming the rights of a citizen. that says illegal alien who should be deported. you can bet mexico deports illegal aliens and shows a lack of sympathy for those trying to cross their borner on the south end of mexico. so excuse me, but this little play on words is a failure. nice try!
@ 105 Frank;
Gee Frank, are you sure you don’t want to go back a few more centuries?
Way I see things, if our Border Patrol can’t secure our border, citizens can, and will.
LEGAL entry is fine. But anything other deserves deportation at minimum!
Me, I like the idea of armed citizens on our southern border.
Since many people here is -obviously, given the topic- too much concerned about the “illegal” thing or if it’s civil or criminal offense etc, etc…
I want to say:
Solution to all this mess can be as easy as abolish all those stupid laws and make immigration completely OPEN.
Before some stupid short-sighted people come to criticize me, I want to state I’m completely aware of the the risks, for instance, an influx of terrorist would endanger this country. Therefore, it’s quite OK to have some controls about this, even thougt I firmly believe that terrorism HAVE to be fought at it philosophical level: ISLAM. Islam -as well as socialism- have to be identified and defined as bad things, similar way to Nazis.
But, regarding other concerns like the economy, welfare, job offers, etc, etc; I am convinced immigration (opened or very facilitated) is a good thing in the short and long term:
* Immigrants abusing of welfare? True, but if you are a real right-wing capitalist, you should know damn well that is welfare the enemy and the cause of all this mess. Abolish the welfare and make all private, lower the taxed, make pay everybody for the services the use and it will be fair and the immigrants will not put a unfair weight over the economy.
* Immigrants taking jobs because they have lower salary expectations? True. But you know damn well that’s good for the economy in the long run. Otherwise the American enterprises will suffer from foreign competition. What do you prefer? People coming to America seeking freedom and prosperity or… American companies going abroad to seek cheaper-almost-slave workers, outsourcing everything they can, and -the worst thing- making strong some other country (for sure not a freedom-loving one but a dictatorship) most-probably a country hating America?
* Immigrants taking jobs? Maybe. In a socialist state that’s true. Return to capitalism, free the minds of the inventive, the genius, the creator; lower the taxes and you will see how immigrants can actually CREATE more jobs. There is no such a thing a saturated market, markets will regulate itself; and you should know that also damn well.
Now, please, ideas or critics please address them rationally without emotions or with false-patriotc rants. Thanks.
@ 109. Ytzik;
I’ll be short on this one: ‘open borders’ is NOT a proper, practical, logical (and probably a lot more adjectives!) solution to anything discussed in this thread.
@110
Great.
But I’m saying that too. And proposing additional views which you have not considered.
Any other more elaborated contribution? Other than say “not” without a reasoning behind?
The ones who murdered my best friend are. As are the ones who kidnapped my neighbor. And I’m pretty sure that the 30%+ of illegal immigrants that join gangs are criminals as well. And so are the ones who illegally smuggle hundreds of billions of dollars back home to Mexico.
OK if they come here illegally but commit no other infraction then that is fine,but what if they register to vote?
32-1530. Ineligible voter; illegal voting; penalty.
Any person who votes
(1) who is not a resident of this state or registered in the county or
who at the time of election is not of the constitutionally prescribed
age of a registered voter, or
(2) who is not a citizen of the United States, or
(3) who, being disqualified by law by reason of his or her conviction
of a felony, has not been pardoned and restored to all the rights of
a citizen shall be guilty of a Class IV felony
So what are we to do with them then?
Being myself a victim of IDENTITY THEFT BY ONE OF THOSE ILLEGAL ALIENS, I say that they are criminals and instead of being put into our prisons where they get free food, free medical and free clothing at taxpayers expense, they should be DEPORTED back to their own country and let their country pay for them.
I am tired of living in MY COUNTRY and having to press 1 just to do my business in English. I have lived in a other country (Germany) and had to learn their language and to follow that county’s laws. Why should it be any different here?
IT IS TIME THAT WE LEGAL CITIZENS TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY AND GET RID OF ALL OF THE ILLEGAL ALIENS!
I don’t feel the need to call all illegal aliens criminals, but most of them certainly commit crimes. Every time an illegal alien fills out an I-9 form to accept employment, they have to certify that they’re entitled to work in the U.S.; when they do, they’ve committed a crime. They also commit one or more crimes if they use fraudulent documents to obtain employment, benefits or services in the U.S. What you call them doesn’t really matter much; we should just have a lot fewer of them.
What a NITWIT Ruben.
So, if I rob a grocery store — I should not be considered a criminal and should not be prosecuted — as long as I am “just trying to feed my family’? Right?
Ok — so if the guy on the corner is selling week “just to be able to feed his family” then we should allow him to do it? Right?
117 Kathy and readers,
You have right to live to freedom and private property as well as to pursuit of happiness (that’s in the right-wing capistalist view of the Right, not the lefty “rights” to have a house, to a have a car, to have a beautiful wife, etc).
Murdering, stealing, slavery, fraud are violations of your rights. Not having a i.d. card or a permission from big brother is not a violation of any right, only to a law (which is not the same, laws can be unjust).
Otherwise, you can also accept big-government changing the laws to make illegal breathing without paying a tax, and what are you going to do? just pay because is lawful?
Rubin, There is this big statue of a woman. She is wearing an old sheet and is barefooted, holding up a torch. She is saying, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free.”
The Foundation of America is the Constitution. The Statue of Liberty is the capstone.
Being against immigration is as anti-American as it gets.
Instead of trying to weasel your way around the Law, you should be making the simple truth that America is a land of immigrants and to try and stop immigration is 180 degrees out from what America is and stands for.
It’s time for a re-do of the immigration laws. That is the point you need to be making. Not quibbling of just exactly what the meaning of is is. Start a campaign that peaks before the 2012 elections.
Those against immigration need to return to whatever country their ancestors came from.
Rosinante: We must be against ILLEGAL immigration. No one is opposed to legal immigration.
My wife is from Indonesia. It took me a year and a very expensive immigration lawyer to get her here. We followed the law.
Why would you encourage illegal activity? Why should your lawbreaking pals have precedence over decent folks, who wait their turn and pay the price? If its alright for you and them to break laws y’all don’t like, then is it okay for thugs to break the laws they don’t care for? Like robbery, rape and murder?
With the onset of President Obama’s push for Amnesty, the opponents are mobilizing to stop this absolutely ridiculous move to legitimize the 20 to 30 million illegal aliens,when 15 million and upwards of citizens and residents are jobless. Anytime that reform rears its ugly head, pro-sovereignty, anti-illegal immigrants organization will get into the fight, even when the economy is sound? But to try and force through this Immigration reform, when millions of American are losing their homes, applying for begrudged unemployment benefit and lining up at food banks. Its just illogical that the Democrats would gather together with a few Republicans to slip through another law to reward illegal immigrants? How can they even dream this up under the circumstances? Most any element of enforcement has always remained underfunded and eyed by politicians who represents corporate welfare to compromise laws.
HOW CAN THEY SAY THAT THE 1986 LAW IS BROKEN, WHEN IT NEVER WAS ENFORCED? Some of the most talented, skillful politicians-ex attorneys authored that bill, including Liberal personage Ted Kennedy? No! Its just a good excuse to arrange another AMNESTY, because previous administrations failed to secure the border or even try? YOU MIGHT ASK THESE RADICAL POLITICIANS–WHY CHANGE THE 1986 IMMIGRATION BILL, WHEN YOU CAN AMEND IT?
Next weekend, 100,000 pro-amnesty supporters are expected to flood Washington to show their support for a blanket amnesty. This is why the Sanctuary State of California needs a governor such as Steve Poizner? He has promised to fight illegal immigration and cut-off benefits to the millions settled in the state as does the majority of the “Tea Party” movement. Its time with thought of our own poor, desperate people, instead of taxes being extorted in support of foreign nationals?
IF YOU BELIEVE IN YOUR NATIONAL SOVEREIGNTY AND STOPPING THE ILLEGAL ALIEN INVASION. ONE FLAG–ONE LANGUAGE.
Get ready for one of the biggest battles of any reform packages that the parties throw at us? Those Patriotic Americans and legal immigrants who believe in Americas sovereignty and desire the borders be firmly secure, heavy funding for immigration enforcement and NO BLANKET AMNESTY. No MORE GOVERNMENT ENTITLEMENTS FOR ILLEGAL ALIENS AND FAMILIES. Become a member of NUMBERSUSA.dot.com MANDATE E-VERIFY. Over a million members and growing. Are you ready to fight against OVERPOPULATION and CHAIN MIGRATION? JUST DO NOT LET UP AT CAUSING YOUR POLITICIANS PALPITATIONS AT 202-224-3121. Don’t forget to give your state lawmakers an ultimatum; NO RE-ELECTION VOTE.
I wonder how many of those illegals are on welfare. I Fox News their was this brainless dingbat announcing how it would hurt our economy to pull all the illegal aliens out of the country. I am sure some of them work, but what percentage of them do? I do not see how pulling the ones out that are on welfare would hurt our country. They can be dead beats in their own country just as well as they can here.
Yes! You take away their welfare and they might have to work. BooHoo! If they did not have to work to get here, their certainly not going to work after their here! Politicians are not going to put a stop to illegal immigration if we do not make them. It’s not like the politicians have spines.
Mexico encourages its citizens to migrate to the U.S., to violate our immigration laws and to boycott Arizona. Until the government of Mexico changes, we should BOYCOTT MEXICO NOW! http://boycottmexiconow.com/
You can say what you want, but say illegal immigrants are not criminals is just like saying prostitutes are not criminals. If illegal immigrants are not criminals pot should be legal. Illegals break their first law entering our country. I am sympathetic to their plight but, if they cannot enter the country legally how are they any different from the law makers of their own country? It seems to me they are on their same level. They are behaving just like the people they are running away from and saying they are not criminals, is a moronic crock. Why should we let more criminals into our country? We have enough of them already. If they do not respect us enough to obey our first law what is going to change when they get here? I think they are spineless. If they do not have enough of a spine to enter our country legally, they do not have enough of a spine to deserve to be here in the first place. It is hard to have respect and sympathy for someone who does not have enough intelligence to do things the right way. Boo Hoo!
The only downside to this stance is the word “illegally” … that word alone constitutes being called a criminal. I understand your description and agree with it, however that word alone, “illegally” says that the person has broken the law and is in fact a criminal (by breaking the law) … of course the problem goes a little deeper in the fact that if its a civil offense it shouldn’t be referred to as ILLEGAL in the FIRST PLACE!
Take your complaints to the doors of the Congress, as regards to illegal aliens stealing jobs, by way of collusion of dishonest business owners. Don’t moan about the policies of Sanctuary Cities, Dream Acts or the 6 small amnesties since covertly passed since 1986, unless you are ready to speak up. Then again, if you are incensed about the 20 million foreigners settled in America unlawfully, you can do something now. These migrants and immigrants are depleting the US federal and state treasuries and taxpayers pockets and then make your voice known. Tell the Senators and House Republicans you want Rep. Lamar Smith’s mandatory “Legal Workforce Act as bill H.R. 2885 brought urgently to the House floor. It will reduce illegal immigration nationwide, including your states. Stop the clogged classroom full of children of aliens and sever free health care of these families and empty prisons and jails. The $113 Billion dollars a year, should be going back into your bank account. You can send a free fax, by going to NumbersUSA or call 202-224-3121 and ask for your U.S. House Representative’s office to urge action in this next session in Congress. The TEA PARTY will not tolerate Sanctuary cities, Dream Acts, another Amnesty or any Immigration Reform that circumvents the law. As far too long the politicians have placed the interests of illegal aliens before its citizens and permanent residents.
Entering America unlawfully must be prosecuted as a Felony, as currently it’s not even a Criminal offense. Then we will see some radical changes to this impossible plague.
Let’s clarify the difference between criminal and civil, for the mouth breathers. If you drive your vehicle at a speed in excess of the posted maximum speed, you are given a citation. When you sign that citation you are promising to appear in court to answer the charges. You have broken the law by speeding but it is not criminal – it is civil. When, however, you are caught driving your car while drinking alcohol and playing with your 13 year old cousin, you have committed a criminal offense and will be taken to jail and booked. Now do you understand the difference?
And for all the KKK responders, your information (assuming you actually have some statistics at your fingertips) is absolutely wrong. Undocumented workers pay much more into the system than they ever get in return. For example, they are subsidizing our social security accounts by billions of dollars every year because they pay into the system but never take a penny out. And when is the last time you saw a clerk at the store tell a Mexican that they didn’t have to pay taxes on their purchase because they have no papers? Did they get a rebate at the gas pump? Does their property-tax paying landlord charge them less rent because they are not here legally? Actually, you don’t really need statistics – just common sense!
Get the ILLEGAL ALIENS out of this country and they wouoldn’t be ILLEGAL ALIENS any more.
Let’s face it, this illegal immigration has cost us billions upon billions on people who have no right to be in this country. Just look at the anchor babies the American taxpayers have paid for, 4.2 million over the last 18-20 years, and then handed them a U.S. birth certificate like it was a piece of Christmas candy. At $6,000-$8,000 per birth, that again, is a lot of money for people who have no right to be in this country. The problems go on with the costs of schooling these illegal alien children and giving them free health care for the illegal alien child and the parent, (parents). Now we have demonstrations by these illegal aliens demanding we give them amnesty and in-state tuition. Again these demands come from people who have no right to be in this country. Last I checked, we have no open borders, which is another thing these illegals want along with the la raza activists, and of course the Catholic Church and the worthless aclu.
Illegal immigration is a cancer, it has to be eradicated not tolerated.