Ratcliffe: Undocumented immigrants would “self deport” if jail time was on the table
WASHINGTON– John Ratcliffe, Rep. Ralph Hall’s challenger in the Republican primary runoff, told the Washington Post today that one way to secure America’s borders is by putting undocumented immigrants in jail instead of simply removing them from the country.
Ratcliffe said that under current laws, being in the country without documentation leads only to deportation. If undocumented immigrants faced jail time, however, he said many would leave of their own accord.
“If you made it a crime to be unlawfully present in the United States, you would have people who would effectively self-deport, if the consequences of being identified and apprehended were to be incarcerated rather than sent across an imaginary line,” Ratcliffe told the Post. “I think that would contribute to our ability to deal with the problem.”
Ratcliffe’s campaign has touted to his experience with immigration issues. During his time as U.S. Attorney in the Eastern District of Texas from 2007-2008, he worked on a case involving undocumented immigrants at a Pilgrim’s Pride poultry processing facility in Mount Pleasant. A raid of that plant led to the arrest and conviction of 38 immigrants who were using fraudulently-obtained social security numbers to work in the United States.
More at http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/2014/03/ratcliffe-undocumented-immigrants-would-self-deport-if-jail-time-was-on-the-table.html/ .
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