Reply to “I’m not against immigrants. I just want them to come here legally.”

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Reply to "“I’m not against immigrants. I just want them to come here legally.”"

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Well, crossing the border is a crime. ICE is just enforcing the law. What’s so hard to understand. [/quote]

Crossing the border is not in itself a crime. It is only illegal if the person doesn't get properly processed through BP. If someone does enter illegally, the first offense is usually just a misdemeanor. Every other type of visa irregularity is a civil offense, not a crime. The penalty is deportation.

Most people caught get deported quickly rather than facing full criminal prosecution, but jail time is possible, especially for repeats.

[/quote]

I don't know that's necessarily the case that they are simply deported quickly. DHS has been dropping criminal charges against undocumented immigrants to speed up deportation, but I think historically the idea was that regardless of your status you deserved the legal punishment for your crime. I'm pretty sure the foamily of a murder victim wouldn't be happy to see the perpetrator simply deported rather than serving a sentence, and when people commit violent crimes their home countries might not necessarily accept their return. I'm sure there are situations in which foreign government agree to accept a convicted citizen of their own country involving serving their sentence in that country, and I'm sure a lot of complicated agreements with other countries are a factor. I certainly know of particular cases in which someone who has committed a violent crime has been sentenced to serve time in US prisons (e.g. the Honduran former president, but there are also cases that aren't widely publicized). Certainly high-level drug crimes are not going to lead simply to deportation if there is a risk the person will be able to resume that activity. It's not just a matter of the US being burdened with the costs of prison, it's also about basic principles of criminal justice.

As for felony charges involving unlawful border crossings, I've been a grand jury member involving those cases (someone who has crossed more than once and has previously been removed under immigration laws). Simply deporting  lets them cross yet again, which would also be against basic legal principles. [/quote]

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