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California’s chief law officer, Attorney General Kamala Harris, declared this week, “an undocumented immigrant is not a criminal,” a statement in direct contradiction to federal law.
Illegally entering and remaining in the country is a federal crime. By stating that those who illegally enter or remain in the United States are not in violation of law is simply incorrect. However, many of these “undocumented immigrants” are not being prosecuted under the current administration.
Last November, President Obama declared effective amnesty for an estimated five million illegally present aliens. Since then, Representative Luis Gutierrez has traveled the country, partnering with fellow ‘immigration reform,’ Democrat legislators and activists, not advocating for citizens but for those illegally present within the U.S.
It does seem that Harris, declared candidate for the U.S. Senate, is implying in her words that these foreign nationals are not persistent criminals as she told KCAL 9, “I’m a career prosecutor. I’ve personally prosecuted everything from low-level offenses to homicides. Unfortunately, I know what crime looks like. I know what a criminal looks like who’s committing a crime. An undocumented immigrant is not a criminal.”
However, this inference is also flawed. While it cannot be said that every illegally present foreign national is necessarily perpetrating additional crimes, it can also not be said that all are not. There are numerous criminal aliens who have committed crimes before and since entering the country and remain illegally present within the boundaries of the U.S.
Just ask members of the group The Remembrance Project. Eric Zepeda’s mother, Brenda Sparks, recounts the story of her son’s death on the group’s site, noting that the illegal alien found at fault for the accident — that left her son dead and a passenger permanently disabled, — received only probation and remained in the U.S. as of last update.
Flshreport.org Editor John Fleischman commented on Harris’ statements to KCAL 9. “Right now she’s clearly pandering to the most extreme, left-wing elements of her own party.” He continued, for Harris to say, “People who are coming into America in blatant violation of federal immigration law aren’t criminals is to redefine the word ‘criminal’ as to no longer mean ‘committing a crime.’”