[NittanyLion]

This is not a government pardon.

Hmmm...these workers have broken the law, right? And they're now off the hook for those violations, are they not?

No pardon, huh? Your ability to spin is right up there with Begala, Carville, et al.

[george wythe]

...these workers have broken the law, right? And they're now off the hook for those violations, are they not?

They're not off the hook.

The capital punishment for immigration violations is deportation, not the death penalty.

A fine is a reasonable compromise between no punishment and deportation.

Whether they go back to Mexico and apply for free, or they stay in the US and pay the fine, illegal aliens are being punished.

Punished by either being forced to go back or being forced to pay a fine.

[Southack]

"Hmmm...these workers have broken the law, right? And they're now off the hook for those violations, are they not? No pardon, huh?"

You don't pay a fine for a pardon. You pay a fine as part of a plea bargain.

Lets not confuse a plea bargain with a pardon.