“Illegal” v. “Criminal”
U.S. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D–WA) claims it is wrong to use the term “illegal aliens” because “undocumented presence in the U.S. is not a criminal offense.”
IN FACT, legal dictionaries explain that “it is wrong to equate illegality with criminality, since many illegal acts are not criminal.” Furthermore:
- millions of aliens are in the U.S. because they illegally crossed the border, which is an imprisonable criminal offense.
- the vast bulk of illegal aliens commit tax evasion and/or identity fraud, which is a federal felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
- the Department of Homeland Security estimated in 2012 that about “1.94 million removable criminal aliens” who have been convicted of committing crimes in the U.S. are “in the United States today.”
