Tuesday’s Washington Times front-paged an article reminding us that punishment is an effective strategy to decrease bad behavior. Some other nations are harsh in their response to illegal immigration, while the United States offers a friendly welcome to invaders. A May report on the Rio Grande from Fox New’s Raymond Arroyo found Border Patrol agents acting more like social workers than sovereignty enforcers, helping aliens reach the American side.
As Senator Charles Grassley remarked regarding the 1986 amnesty for millions of lawbreakers, “You know what I found out? If you reward illegality, you get more of it.”
Human psychology is very predictable that way.
]]>Prison, labor camps, caning: Illegal entry no misdemeanor in other countries, By Stephen Dinan, Washington Times, September 23, 2019
Jumping the border in Singapore is punishable by six months in prison — and not less than three strokes with a cane.
In Russia, it can earn you up to two years in a prison labor camp.
Pakistan goes as high as 10 years in prison, while India allows for up to eight years behind bars for those who sneak across its boundaries.
It’s a far cry from the U.S., where illegal entry is a misdemeanor, with a maximum of six months in jail. In reality, most of those who are prosecuted — and only about 1 in 5 border jumpers are — are sentenced to time served and are out within days.
The U.S. has one of the world’s weaker laws for illegal entry, according to the data in a study by the Library of Congress, which surveyed statutes in more than 160 nations and released its findings amid a heated debate over whether America’s penalties are too stiff.
The debate is being driven by the Democratic presidential candidates, some of whom have argued that the U.S. should eliminate the criminal penalty altogether. The data shows that’s a bad idea, said Jessica Vaughan, policy studies director at the Center for Immigration Studies, which advocates for stricter immigration controls.
“Illegal immigration is a crime in almost every nation because regulating immigration is key to maintaining national sovereignty and identity, and citizens and leaders of every nation place a high value on that,” Ms. Vaughan said. “There are good reasons why almost every other country in the world has similar criminal penalties, and we shouldn’t flog people over it, but we do need the tools of arrest and detention to deal with the problem.”
In the U.S., illegal entry is criminalized under 8 US Code Section 1325, “improper entry by alien,” which calls for a fine or imprisonment of up to six months, or both. Doing it a second time can earn a two-year sentence.
That is in addition to the civil penalty for being in the country without authorization, for which the result is deportation.
Those policies are in line with laws in Canada and the United Kingdom, which also impose six-month maximum sentences on illegal entry, but, like the U.S., usually just deport border jumpers instead. (Continues)
On the three-year anniversary of Sarah’s death, Senator Joni Ernst spoke on the Senate floor about the preventable loss, as well as a reintroduction of Sarah’s [...]]]>
On the three-year anniversary of Sarah’s death, Senator Joni Ernst spoke on the Senate floor about the preventable loss, as well as a reintroduction of Sarah’s Law, proposed legislation that would prohibit federal immigration officials from releasing any illegal alien who has committed a violent crime against an American citizen
]]>On Third Anniversary of Her Death, Senator Ernst Re-Introduces Sarah’s Law, Senator Ernst Press Release, Jan 31 2019
Ernst: “We have an obligation to the Root family, and to the American people, to ensure that no person falls victim to this injustice again”
WASHINGTON – On January 31, 2016, the night of her graduation, Sarah Root, a twenty-one year-old Iowan from Council Bluffs, was struck and killed in Omaha, Neb., by Edwin Mejia, who entered the country illegally and was driving drunk – three times over the legal limit.
Today, on the third anniversary of her death, Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), along with Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ben Sasse (R-NE), Deb Fischer (R-NE) and 11 of their colleagues, re-introduced legislation in honor of Sarah, to allow federal law enforcement to detain illegal immigrants criminally charged with killing or seriously injuring another person.
“It is wholly unacceptable that someone who is here illegally and is responsible for the death of another human being is not considered an enforcement priority nor is detained by ICE. We have an obligation to the Root family, and to the American people, to ensure that no person falls victim to this injustice again. Sarah’s Law brings us one step closer to restoring justice in our broken immigration system by allowing ICE to detain and hold these criminals accountable,” said Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA).
“The tragic death of Sarah Root three years ago and the ongoing search for her killer underscore the serious attention border security and immigration enforcement require in America. Sarah’s life was cut short by an undocumented immigrant who disregarded the rule of law and decided to get behind the wheel after drinking. The Obama Administration refused to take custody of Sarah’s killer because it didn’t consider him a priority, allowing him to disappear into the shadows. The Roots have been robbed of their daughter, and at least for now, they have been robbed of justice. Our legislation, named in Sarah’s memory, will ensure that those who harm or kill Americans will be taken into custody and removed while also ensuring that victims and their families get the information they deserve from the government as they pursue justice,” said Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA).
“Edwin Mejia’s mugshot shouldn’t be on a most wanted poster — Edwin Mejia should be in jail, serving hard time for the life he took and the pain he left behind,” said Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE). “Sarah’s Law is common-sense legislation that Sarah and her family deserve to have signed into law. Congress should waste no time sending this legislation to the President’s desk for his signature.” . . .