Suffolk County Legislator Sammy Gonzalez (D-Brentwood) participated in a press conference outside the Nassau County jail to denounce Nassau’s efforts to cooperate with federal officials to enforce our immigration laws.
He attacks the county for trying to enforce the law by stating, “Many of them (the illegal aliens) do not have a criminal record. Is working 24 hours a day, seven days a week a criminal record? Is working two jobs a criminal record? Is walking to your grocery store or supermarket and getting stopped and arrested a criminal record? I want to see proof.”
Well, sir, in case you didn’t know, crossing the border without authorization with the intent to stay in America is still a crime. It always was and continues to be so today. Your dismissiveness of this crime basically is seeking to make the United States an open-border nation.
If our elected officials are not able to deport those who break the law and come here illegally, the message sent to the rest of the world is that you can come anytime you want and stay forever, as long as you don’t rape or murder someone thereafter.
And even then, the Democrats will do everything within their power to gum up the works to such a degree that it becomes exceedingly difficult to deport even the hardened criminals.
So, Legislator Gonzalez, it doesn’t matter if the people being deported wound up committing second or third crimes. Crossing the border illegally remains a crime, and if we don’t enforce it, we’ve lost control of our nation.