Any alien who … 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 …
8 U.S.C § 1325
Immigration and Naturalization Act (INA)
Some may live in denial, but entering the United States illegally is a crime. The village of Oak Park has continually used the term “asylum-seeker” to hide the truth. First, the term “asylum-seeker” is misleading. Applicants seeking asylum protection have the burden of (1) proving that they suffered past persecution or have a well-founded fear of future persecution; (2) the applicant is a member of a protected ground (race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, political opinion); (3) there is a connection between the harm the applicant suffered and their protected ground; and (4) the applicant either fears harm from the home country’s government or the home country is unable or unwilling to control a private person. INA§101(a)(42)(A).
Asylum is designed to protect those who meet these four elements. In the fiscal year of 2023, asylum relief was denied in the majority of cases. While some individuals are genuinely escaping persecution, there are many others who unlawfully enter the United States for economic opportunities. This does not warrant asylum protection.
The primary job of a government is to keep its citizens safe. In 2023, Customs and Border Patrol had 3,201,144 encounters with illegal immigrants. A serious concern is the lack of vetting of illegal immigrants in the United States. Border Patrol Chief Jason Owens stated on X (Twitter) that his agents arrested an average of 47 individuals every day in 2023 who had “serious criminal histories.” Moreover, those figures only included individuals who have been apprehended. In 2023, 860,000 “gotaways” unlawfully entered the United States. These individuals pose safety concerns since their criminal backgrounds and whereabouts are unknown to law enforcement agencies.
Oak Park’s Village Board broke its duty to residents by approving a $1.9 million grant providing various services for immigrants, some of whom may be illegal. The $360,000 allocated toward giving illegal immigrants various legal services is wasteful. The role of the government is to provide public services like police, fire, roads, schools. I don’t recall the village paying for residents’ legal services spent appealing their outrageous property tax bills. Yet Oak Park has no issue doling out money for legal representation to individuals whose first act in the United States may have been a crime.
Sources:
- https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/cbp-enforcement-statistics
- Asylum denied in majority of cases in 2023
https://trac.syr.edu/phptools/immigration/asylum/
- Border Patrol had 3,201,144 encounters with illegal immigrants
https://www.cbp.gov/newsroom/stats/cbp-enforcement-statistics
- Border Patrol Chief quote regarding agents arresting more than 47 individuals every day in 2023 who had “serious criminal histories.”
- 860,000 “gotaways” in 2023
https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/2024-01/59697-Demographic-Outlook.pdf#page=9
- Oak Park awarded a $1.9 million grant and $360,000 will go toward legal services
Jonathan Panton is a River Forest resident and a graduate of OPRF High School, class of 2017.
