The newspapers and media make much of illegal immigration as a general news item. If they were to be believed literally thousands of illegal immigrants are streaming through the USA ’s porous borders and contributing to a crime wave that threatens the ordinary US citizen. If the reports were true we would all be fighting the Alamo once again against an overwhelming display of malevolent foreigners intent on killing us, raping our daughters and taking our possessions.
Of course this is all a wild exaggeration of the true situation. There are indeed organized gangs who arrange for entrants to cross the border. Recently another gang was apprehended who were directing operations by cell phones from the mountains South of the border where they could watch for border patrols and call their clients by phone giving them directions and warning of the whereabouts of the border patrol.
The State of Arizona is currently being challenged by the Federal Government regarding some of their stringent checks on immigrants and have had stays put in place over major aspects of the measures they wish to implement. Arizona enacted the most stringent anti immigrant statute but the federal government has challenged it and the courts are upholding blocks on some central tenets of the law.
In fact no reign of terror from illegal aliens is evident anywhere. Crossing the US border other than with a passport and papers at a border crossing to airport is itself illegal. The line appears to be that they broke the law getting here and so they will have no objections to breaking a few further laws while they are here. The truth of the matter is likely the opposite in that most illegal immigrants want to keep their noses clean lest they get apprehended and find themselves detained and deported. They will naturally be found in areas where people with similar backgrounds to themselves live. It is also extremely unlikely that their presence will be made known to the authorities by those in the community as there is bound to be a lot of sympathy for the plight of the immigrant. But is he likely to be a violent criminal?
The reality does not back the perception up. The trouble is that data is scrappy and not well kept. But illegal immigrants once apprehended and identified as illegals are detained and there is no way for them to become legal in the US. If they are apprehended for a crime they will be prosecuted, have to serve a sentence and thereafter be deported. Legal immigrants notwithstanding might also be arrested for any of many reasons. They should immediately search for a Los Angeles Criminal Lawyer who will investigate their detention and mount a robust defense. If they have been apprehended for a driving violation or any additional infraction there are no worries but any accusation of a misdemeanor needs to be robustly defended lest it adversely affect the immigration process. If you are a legal resident of the US and are charged with a misdemeanor you should search for a Immigration Lawyer in Los Angeles to ensure that you are adequately protected.