Tuesday, April 21, 2009

Illegal Immigration Not Criminal? Come Now, Madame Secretary

Yesterday, our Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano, was interviewed by John King on CNN's "State of the Union." A transcript of the entire interview may be read here. It's mostly weasel wiggle -- and she dances around the whole incalculably tacky "veterans as right wing extremists thing" again -- but one of the most disturbing things about the interview is her characterization of illegal immigration. When questioned about the government's apparent inability to enforce immigration laws that prohibit illegal entry into the United States, she said (emphasis mine):


What we have to do is target the real evil-doers in this business, the
employers who consistently hire illegal labor, the human traffickers who are
exploiting human misery.


And yes, when we find illegal workers, yes, appropriate action, some of
which is criminal, most of that is civil, because crossing the border is not
a crime per se. It is civil.
But anyway, going after those as well.

While there are civil penalties for entering the United States in violation of the United States Code, offenses for which there is the statutory potential for imprisonment are criminal in nature, not civil. See 1325 U.S.C., section 8. A first offense can draw 6 months in a federal pen; subsequent offenses can draw up to 2 years -- both can also result in (pretty unimpressive) fines.

Crossing the border in violation of American law is at best incivil. These "visitors" to our fair land are crooks.

She's in charge of your being able to get a good night's sleep. Feeling sleepy? Feeling SECURE? Not.


Crossposted here.

2 comments:

  1. I wonder if Napolitano is using some of that stuff the illegals are bringing with them?
    I live in New Mexico and I can promise her that we, the Americans, are NOT pleased by open war fare among gangs in our cities and along our border.
    To even suggest that "illegal" is a civil violation has totally removed any belief in her ability to comprehend Law 101.
    I suggest she be the next cabinet official to be given walking papers.
    Oh, yeah, I'm a registered Democrat.

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  2. People compare immigration from Mexico as being no different from Europe in the past.
    I think a major difference is that Europeans brought
    sciences such as Physics, Chemistry, Calculus,
    and Metalurgy. The europeans also brought the
    industrial revolution that started in Great Britian
    and spread to other european countries in the late
    1700's. The industrial revolution is probably the
    main reason the U.S is a wealthy country.
    If you research the history of science and math
    you will find that most all of it was developed
    in Europe. Nothing came from Mexico.

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