Crossing the Border not a Criminal Offense

[meeshy]

According to the USCCB Justice for Immigrants website:

"…undocumented immigrants are not criminals—they have not broken a criminal law. They have only violated civil law, as we do when we violate a traffic ordinance. The United States Supreme Court has held that “a deportation proceeding is a purely civil action to determine the eligibility to remain in this country, not to punish an unlawful entry….The purpose of deportation is not to punish past transgressions, but to put an end to a continuing violation of immigration laws.”

See the original here:
www.justiceforimmigrants.org/ParishKit/ResponseUndocumented.pdf

 

[manualman]

It does not follow.

The Supreme Court discussion merely demonstrates that the Deportation is a matter of civil law. It is silent on whether the unauthorized crossing of the border is a criminal offense.

Thus the citation does not say what the site wants it to. Lawyer talk is tricky stuff. You cannot infer anything from silence.

 

[meeshy]

You are correct. Current immigration law defines illegal entry into the United States as a criminal offense; living illegally in the United States is simply a civil offense.

 

[pnewton]

I know little about immigration law, but I have to question their findings when they know so little about traffic law. At least in Texas, it is not a civil procedure, but a criminal.

 

[Joe_Kelley]

According to the USCCB Justice for Immigrants website:

"…undocumented immigrants are not criminals—they have not broken a criminal law. They have only violated civil law, as we do when we violate a traffic ordinance. The United States Supreme Court has held that “a deportation proceeding is a purely civil action to determine the eligibility to remain in this country, not to punish an unlawful entry….The purpose of deportation is not to punish past transgressions, but to put an end to a continuing violation of immigration laws.”

See the original here:
www.justiceforimmigrants.org/ParishKit/ResponseUndocumented.pdf

Violation of the law is not breaking the law? Welcome to Wonderland. I think Humpty Dumpty [Words mean what I want them to mean neither more nor less] wrote that one.

 

[LCMS_No_More]

Violation of the law is not breaking the law? Welcome to Wonderland. I think Humpty Dumpty [Words mean what I want them to mean neither more nor less] wrote that one.

That’s not what was said. Not all violations of the law are crimes. There are many facets of the law that are to be taken into consideration. Some violations of the law are infractions, some are civil issues, and others are indeed criminal acts.