Posted on 04/27/2008 8:56:09 PM PDT by Eric Blair 2084
Immigrants and their advocates today found an unlikely ally: the top law enforcement officer in New Jersey.
"Being in this country without proper documentation is not a crime," Christie told more than 60 residents and town officials. "The whole phrase of 'illegal immigrant' connotes that the person, by just being here, is committing a crime."
Being undocumented may be a civil wrong, but it's not a criminal act, Christie said.
"Don't let people make you believe that that's a crime that the U.S. Attorney's Office should be doing something about," he added of entering the country illegally. "It is not."
After touching on the usual topics of his corruption-busting career and battles against gang violence, Christie fielded questions -- mostly on immigration issues -- from Morris County residents and community leaders in an open forum that at times grew heated.
The U.S. attorney had been invited by the local chapter of the Latino Leadership Alliance of New Jersey, a statewide group formed to empower Latinos to obtain political, economic and social equity, and hosted by the First United Methodist Church of Dover.
While Christie told the audience it doesn't take a "genius" to see there's a "serious immigration problem" in this country, he stressed an undocumented immigrant is not a criminal unless that person re-enters the country after being deported.
Rather, the state's top federal prosecutor called the problem of undocumented immigration "an administrative matter" that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is supposed to address.
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
For the uninitiated fortunate and smart fellow Americans and Freepers who don't live in the Democratic People's Republic of New Jersey, I'll offer a little bit of background...
Christie is a hero in the DPRNJ for putting 125 leftist politicians behind bars.
Excuse me, but WTF is this guy?
He’s the top federal US law enforcement official in these parts.
Is this azzhat retarded?
They are.
I’m betting Mr. Christie hasn’t had the good fortune of being audiologically raped on a daily basis at all hours of the day by criminal illegals living 20 feet away.
What part of illegal does this idiot not get?
What is the definition of “criminal”? Someone who breaks the law. What do you call someone who enters this country in violation of the law?
Why is this incompetent in the US Attorney’s office?
I think so too , unless US code title 8 chapter 12 section 1325 has been repealed .
So, can’t these “uninvited visitors” sue the Border Patrol for false arrest?
That’s my thought exactly. Let the illegals live next door to the politicians, send them to their kids’ schools. Maybe this jerk would like to shelter a few in his home??
FYI...what makes this really scary if that he is a Republican who sent every crooked politician he could find to jail....just so happened that they all happened to be Dems since they control this cesspool and there is no point bribing legislators with R’s next to their name since they are impotent.
He got a lot of heat for hiring John Ashcroft and his firm for a public project. The leftists are trying to take him down.
I’m beginning to wonder if he doesn’t employ one (or more) to mow his grass or clean his toilets.
“Any alien who
(1) enters or attempts to enter the United States at any time or place other than as designated by immigration officers, or
(2) eludes examination or inspection by immigration officers, or
(3) attempts to enter or obtains entry to the United States by a willfully false or misleading representation or the willful concealment of a material fact, 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.”
Sounds like a criminal statute to me.
“He’s the top federal US law enforcement official in these parts.”
Gee, I feel so much more confident about it now.
Paging Michael Mukasey.
The question is whether the statement he made is factual or if it is not. I have grave concerns about a U.S. Attorney who would blatantly disregard the law on perhaps the singlemost important issue in this country right now.
True to a point. A reentry after a deportation, which is very common, does raise this to a criminal status. The other really big problem is the number of illegals using stolen or fake ID.
I kind of doubt this feller would give me a pass for using stolen or fake ID.
I couldn’t even start up a blog with all the stuff I want to say, and how it should be said.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_J._Christie
He should be fired immiediately. This is an outrage.
As further background, he raised eyebrows of congressional democrats his involvement with a defered prosecution agreement with a medical device company that employed Ashcroft to serve as its outside monitor to assure compliance with the agreement. Ashcroft had to testify about it recently.
http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/080226/us_attorneys_oversight.html?.v=1
http://politickernj.com/tags/christopher-christie
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