Until the 1920's it was not a crime to enter and work inside the US without prior authorization. Staying and working beyond the initial authorization of a visa

Until the 1920's it was not a crime to enter and work inside the US without prior authorization. Staying and working beyond the initial authorization of a visa is a civil violation, not a criminal one in the US. Laws are created by men with a specific intent not handed down as truth from god. In the case of the US, immigration law has largely been shaped by a racist quota system formed as a reaction of previous immigrants towards the next flight of immigrants. A "fuck you, I've got mine" mentality.