3 ms·

Well in order to be present they had to enter unlawfully. So pretty clear that it's illegal.

• dragonwriter 10y ago
  > Well in order to be present they had to enter unlawfully Wrong, you can be present unlawfully after completely lawful entry. > So pretty clear that it's illegal. Unlawful presence is obviously illegal, but it is not criminal. The two words do not mean the same thing.
  • poikniok 10y ago
    But you can't be present lawfully after unlawful entry, that is the point.
    • dragonwriter 10y ago
      No, the claim was "in order to be present they had to enter unlawfully"; that claim is what is under discussion and it is factually untrue. What you present is the converse of the claim under discussion. And, for that matter, is also false. A lawful permanent resident alien who enters (say, after a vacation abroad) other than at a designated border crossing is not unlawfully present, but has committed the offense of illegal entry.