Source: https://phillipsandthomas.com/2014/09/11/immigration-crimes/
Timestamp: 2019-04-22 17:10:55+00:00

Document:
In 1952, Congress passed the McCarran-Walter Act, the so-called “Immigration and Nationality Act” (INA), which has been codified into law under 8 U.S.C. §1101 to 1503. There are many other immigration-related statutory provisions (and more likely on the way soon), but modern immigration legislation derives in large part from the legislative work that was done in the 1950s. When discussing immigration crimes, there is a clear distinction between what happens at the state level and what happens at the federal level. At the state level, enforcement efforts often focus on criminal complaints or indictments against undocumented immigrants for crimes associated with unlawful residence: forgery, identity theft, fraudulent use of credit devices, and other related state-level crimes.
(d) to conspire to commit any of the preceding offenses.
shall, for the first commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18 or imprisoned not more than 6 months, or both, and, for a subsequent commission of any such offense, be fined under title 18, or imprisoned not more than 2 years, or both.
Under §1325(c ), “marriage fraud” is criminalized; it is defined as “knowingly” entering into a marriage for the purpose of evading any provision of the immigration laws. And §1325(d) criminalizes “immigration-related entrepreneurship fraud”, which is defined as “knowingly” establishing a commercial enterprise for the purpose of evading the immigration laws.
Smuggling. Smuggling is defined as knowingly bringing or attempting to bring an alien into the United States at a non-designated place of entry. Even if a person has received “prior official authorization” to come to the United States, a crime may be alleged if the person is brought in at a non-designated place of entry.
Transporting. Anyone who “transports, or moves or attempts to transport or move…[an] alien within the United States by means of transportation or otherwise, furtherance of such violation of law” may be in violation of 8 U.S.C. §1324(a)(1). The key consideration in a transportation offense is the “reason” behind the transportation. U.S. v. Moreno, 561 F.2d 1321, 1323 (9th Cir. 1977). Courts have held, for example, that it is not a crime to transport known illegal aliens between job sites in the ordinary and required course of the defendant’s employment, or to transport aliens for job searches in another state. U.S. v. Moreno-Duque, 718 F.Supp. 254 (D. Vt. 1989); U.S. v. 1982 Ford Pick-Up, 873 F.2d 947 (6th Cir. 1989). However, some courts have held that transportation for work or employment reasons is not a defense to the crime of transportation of undocumented aliens. U.S. v. Shaddix, 693 F.2d 1135, 1138 (5th Cir. 1982).
Harboring. Harboring an alien is covered under §1324(a)(1)(A)(iii). It basically criminalizes any attempt to shield or protect an unlawful alien from detection from the authorities.
(A) Records of any judicial or administrative proceeding in which that alien’s status was an issue and in which it was determined that the alien had not received prior official authorization to come to, enter, or reside in the United States or that such alien had come to, entered, or remained in the United States in violation of law.
(C) Testimony, by an immigration officer having personal knowledge of the facts concerning that alien’s status, that the alien had not received prior official authorization to come to, enter, or reside in the United States or that such alien had come to, entered, or remained in the United States in violation of law.
Forfeiture provisions round out Section 1324, making it clear that asset forfeiture can come into play when violations of these provisions are found. As Congress continues to amend, modify, and add to the complex rules surrounding immigration, it is not unreasonable to expect significant changes in immigration crimes and enforcement in the years ahead.
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References: §1101
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