>>>>>My son heard on the radio that in the United States they want to declare it a criminal act, for an alien to be in the United States without documentation, or something of the sort. He asked: "Wasn't it a criminal act, already?" To the best of my knowledge, I answered that I assume that aliens can be thrown out of the country for being there without a permit, but that they can't be otherwise prosecuted and thrown into prison. Is the news he heard correct? Is this my understanding of the situation correct?
>>>>>
>>>>>My son heard this news in Spanish; would the word "felony" be used in English?
>>>>>
>>>>>TIA,
>>>>>
>>>>>Hilmar.
>>>>
>>>>Maybe there's some confusion between 'illegal' and 'criminal'. According to this link entering illegally is a crime, being in the country illegally is not : http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=57266
>>>
>>>Really does seem to be a distinction without a difference if you are in the country illegally because you entered illegally.
>>Overstaying or otherwise violating the terms of a visa (working on a tourist visa etc) would be the only circumstance I could think of where one might not be guilty of a crime. Otherwise, having entered illegally one has committed a crime.
>>
>>Doesn't seem to be any proof (or even claim) that he did enter illegally?
>
>IMHO, if he cannot prove he entered legally, then he entered illegally.
As to Charles : I thought the principal of 'presumption of innocence' applied in the U.S ?

>However, what concerns me is that 1) he will only get probation for his actions which is wrong in my opinion even for citizens
Different argument. The question was whether he should be treated differently because he was in the U.S. illegally.....

>and 2) this: He said such enforcement, including raids to round up illegal aliens, would just make a segment of the population that already distrusts the government even less likely to cooperate with those who are supposed to count those living in the United States that year
>
>so we are putting the census above our judicial system. That appears to be a benefit that citizens will not receive.
OTOH if one brach of government is busy deporting people while the poor ole Cencus Bureau is trying to count them it will be hard for them to get the figures right :-}