here is the law
18 usc 1325
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/8/1325
1325 has history going back to 1929 and included in the walther- mcarren immigration act that went into effect in 1952
debate 2020
https://time.com/5615757/section-1325-immigration-law-2020-debate/
they admit it is a criminal offense and some ask to repeal
https://cliniclegal.org/resources/attorney-general-calls-increased-prosecution-immigration-related-offenses
https://trac.syr.edu/tracreports/bulletins/immigration/monthlyapr19/fil/
as far as statistics, priorities and resources are best used where they are the most efficient.there is a difference between claiming a law says something and how it is actually enforced or not. 150 billion dollars that went to iran could have prosecuted every 1325 for years and deterred hundreds of thousands from trying...
LOL!
That's almost a direct quote from Barack Obama’s Executive Order creating DACA.
Bottom Line - in border jumping cases, the prosecution and immigration judge automatically agree to dismiss the “criminal” charge if the defendant agrees to pay the civil penalty.
By the way, my favorite federal law is 8 U.S.C. §1182(f):
“Whenever the President finds that the entry of any aliens or of any class of aliens into the United States would be detrimental to the interests of the United States, he may by proclamation, and for such period as he shall deem necessary, suspend the entry of all aliens or any class of aliens as immigrants or nonimmigrants, or impose on the entry of aliens any restrictions he may deem to be appropriate.”
And my second favorite federal law is some place in IRCA 1986, which - along with court tested agency regulations and Executive Orders - gives Trump the authority to enforce Universal E-Verify.
Problem is - Trump will never seriously try to enforce those statutes.