Kamala Harris, a likely Democratic candidate for the 2024 presidential election, has repeatedly said that illegal immigrants are not criminals.
The Republican National Committee took note of several statements Harris made while she was a political candidate in California.
According to Border Commissioner Kamala Harris, being an illegal immigrant is “not a crime.”
See for yourself, in her own words: pic.twitter.com/19z2xQWvH8
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 25, 2024
“What she’s ultimately saying is that illegal immigration is not a crime… [but] “She’s wrong because the law says it’s a crime,” countered John Fehr, a former senior official in President Donald Trump’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency.
The law states: 8 U.S.C. § 1325says.
Any alien who (1) enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than those designated by an immigration officer, (2) evades inspection or review by an immigration officer, or (3) attempts to enter, or has been admitted to, the United States by knowingly making a false or misleading representation or knowingly concealing a material fact, shall be punished under Title 18 for a first offense by a fine or imprisonment for not more than six months, or both, and under Title 18 for a second or subsequent offense by a fine or imprisonment for not more than two years, or both.
Illegal immigrants also violate many laws beyond immigration, Fehle said. “All kinds of crimes are committed by the average non-violent, working illegal immigrant. The average ‘illegal worker’ is involved in identity theft, Social Security fraud, tax evasion and a variety of other crimes that create real victims,” Fehle said.
Illegal workers “are, quite simply, people breaking the law,” Fiehle said.
Harris is a lawyer and may be arguing that illegal immigrants are not criminals until convicted.
“What do you mean by criminal?” Mr. Feere asked. “If someone robs a bank at gunpoint, steals a lot of money and runs away, is that a criminal?”
but Dictionary definition “Criminal” includes not only someone who commits a crime, but also someone who has been convicted of committing a crime.
Flashback: Kamala Harris brags about “directing local law enforcement” not to comply with federal immigration authorities — in support of sanctuary cities! pic.twitter.com/wYURF8HctU
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 26, 2024
Fehle continued.
teeth [illegal migrants] Are they lawbreakers or not? The answer is yes, and it is the job of government agencies to hold them accountable for breaking the law.
she, [law enforcement] She does not have the authority to perform the functions of the executive branch, so one wonders why she should be the head of the executive branch in the first place. She is suggesting that she is not going to enforce the laws that the American people have enacted through their elected representatives, the laws that we enact through what we call democracy.
That means she has abandoned a huge chunk of federal law, and at that point we really have to question whether our form of government can withstand such an extreme person.
The federal government has already refused to enforce Parliament’s border laws, Feher said.
We have a secretary [the Department of Homeland Security] He has announced that he will not enforce certain laws. We have a president who will not enforce most laws. [border] Illegal activities are going unchecked, resulting in a surge in illegal immigration never seen before in human history.
President Joe Biden’s staff has admitted roughly 10 million legal and illegal immigrants since 2021, an influx that equates to roughly one immigrant for every American birth.
This huge population hurts ordinary Americans by lowering wages, diverting business investment away from workplace productivity, and driving up both home prices and mortgage rates.
“The purpose of the presidency is to enforce federal laws passed by Congress,” Fehr said. “If she now declares that she’s not going to do that, then this is clearly not the job for her.”
Kamala Harris: “Illegal immigrants are not criminals!”
Then, just to be sure, she says it again in Spanish. pic.twitter.com/Mox6d0DZUN
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 26, 2024
