Under current US law, are "illegal" immigrants committing a felony or a misdemeanor?
373336
Entering and remaining in the country without documented permission is a misdemeanor.  \n\nRepresenting yourself as someone else in order to obtain work is fraud and identity theft, felonies.\n\nThe misdemenaor is cheap and easy to prove.  Felonies are expensive to prosecute and harder to convict on--there are so many illegal aliens to capture that it is most expedient to slap the misdemeanor on them and deport them quickly.  That is the current working theory anyway.  Great success, huh?
470829
Illegal immigrants are no different than when someone commits other crimes such as shop lifting, pick pocketing, tax evasion, it's illegal.  I don't mean to sound cold hearted but the law is the law; there has to be equal importance to all laws, that's what this country was founded on.  I know that every one of our families at some point and time were immigrants, but they went threw the process of becoming an American citizen because they liked what the country had to offer.  Most people aren't fighting to keep certain people out, they're just looking for the laws that are in place to be in forced.  Like I state before if I can be put in jail for speeding which is breaking the law than the same should be enforced for illegal anything.
815818
Well, I think your facts are reversed.  As you know, many conservative Republicans are not in favor of making helping an illegal alien from another country, for example Mexico, a crime.  As you probably also know, in spring and summer of this year, there were nation-wide protests relating to this hot-button issue.  However, at his press conference the other morning, President Bush proclaimed that he could pass his agenda as far as immigration goes.  Therefore, Dem's are more likely to help President Bush pass a law making assisting illegal aliens a felony.  Therefore, I believe that you have your facts reversed. Wouldn't you want to help your own people?  Unless many of the Mexican-Americans were uninformed of the Dem's stand on this issue, then I would have to say that they would not vote Dem's into office because of their stand on this issue.
930573
I'll agree with that....and say the REAL crime is not enforcing on employers that encourage people to move to the US illegally to begin with by not observing US labor laws.\n\nWe need: \nemployer enforcement\nborder enforcement\nfrank and honest dialogue with the public on the issue.\nIf those 3 things happen, we'll see a lot less illegal immigration.
684261
Not ALL people from another country are illegal . Just the people who come here without permission to do so and stay here and don't pay taxes.  Yeah, that's pretty illegal.  On the other hand, if someone comes here with a green card or something legal like that; it's all good.
440267
If you're illegal, you're illegal. The law is the law...Cuban, Irish, Egyptian, Salvadoranian, etc...the law is the law.
866608
An "illegal alien" has committed a crime by entering a country illegally. I am law-abiding and here legally.\n\nOther than that, nothing.
1063750
YES you are correct!. breaking the law doesnt turn you into a criminal. a criminal is someone who commits crimes on purpose and runs away from cops and stuff. immigration, in  opinon, is not a crime, theyre just looking for a better life! is there anything wrong with that?
447464
Illegal immigration in the US???
201745
No.  Just gave another reason to make it a felony to be here ILLEGALLY
687483
Sounds like some people have the right answer, but for the wrong reason and some people have the wrong answer for a completely stupid reason. You can get in trouble if they can prove that you knew they were illegally in America, Very hard to prove I might add. Being in their home is not further proof of you being an accomplice. It just proves that you know the people and entered their house. It does not prove that you knew they were illegal. Guilt by association does not work either. If this was the case, the person that sold them the home, the neighbors, the friends, anyone that had even talked to them (Wal*Mart employees, gas station attendants, etc...) would be guilty by the same association.Just being in the house would make you suspect of being an illegal alien as well. Once you show proof of papers (whatever they may require) you would be off the hook. I would like to dispel am allegation by luvzitusa. She said that "Being an illegal is a felony!!!" I will give her this. But her next statement "It's like being with sombody who robbed a bank,you're still counted as an accessory!!!!!" is a lie. You are counted as an accessory if you HELP the person rob a bank. If you are a friend eating at their house, you did not know it happened, you did not help them, you were not there when it was premeditated. You are not held accountable unless you had knowledge of it. Its that simple luvzitusa. Now for Panacea's statement. "Most illegals are criminals." I suppose that is why it is called illegal huh? But that should be obvious. I would also like to know where you get your statistic "most". This is a broad generalization upon a people group and can easily be refuted. You may want to rephrase this statement. I would also like to know where you get your stat when you say "That means they engage in criminal activity. Likely, they have drugs on the premises." This too is a broad generalization. I agree, if there are drugs, you can be arrested. That would make you an accomplice, with one major condition. If you are doing the drugs or if they are currently being done on the premises, whether you know about it or not. If the drugs are hidden, and you didn't know that they existed you would not get in trouble.\n\nTo make a long answer even longer, no you would not get in trouble for eating with an illegal alien supposing you didn't help them or know about it. And if you did know about it, it would be hard for the government to prove it.
560684
No. It's the present!\n\nThat article was written poorly!  After reading it three times, I still haven't figured out if it's the American police or Mexican police!   Anyways, it doesn't matter regarding your question.  It sounds like one criminal group is fighting another for an illegal smuggling route.  What does the immigration law have to do with that? \n\nBreaking the law is just that!  We are finally trying to enforce some of our immigration laws. Our Southern border is our weakest link in our national security. It's about time we're doing something about it!
675736
you are mistaken.There are basically two types of criminals.\na felon is anybody who committed and was convicted of a crime with a penalty of more than one year in jail. A misdemeanor is  a crime punishable by less than one year in prison.\nThe determining factor is the exact words of the law that make the act a crime. entering a country illegally is probably punishable by more than one year in jail so it is a felony. a person if NOT a felon until he has been convicted. until then he is just a suspect or defendant. The authorities usually do not try an illegal migrant worker on these felony charges but just send them back home. The sherriff of Maricopa County in Arizona wants to arrest them and try them and put them in jail. This would be as good as a job to most and like a country club vacation to them after living in Mexicao. So better to send them back and let Mexico support them.\n\n Civil trespass is  merely a TORT, not a crime( usually) The typical state law allows a landowner or person entitled to possession, like a tenant, to sue another for the tort of tresspass. it is not punishable by any jail time . The person who is accused and sued and adjudged liable for this tort is called a tortfeasor, not a criminal.  There are no civil crimes per se, but some do cross the line, such as civil harrasment and are sort of a crime and sort of a tort.
480369
The law is the law, and crossing the border illegally is a crime.
510051
Yes, illegal is a crime in America.
881913
Okay our legal justice system does perceive that there is a difference in certain offenses obviously you have them confused....How dare you to compare the heinous crime of raping someone (A felony) to the illegal immigrant to the date a (Misdemeanor -- to mean minor crime)
601266
You must be a nonlaw abiding person. Illegal means illegal. They are breaking the law. So how are they helping are economy?