Crossing the border in order to illegally enter into the United States carries grave migration and even legal consequences. These occur whether you manage to enter or are detained while attempting to enter.
What is considered an illegal entry into the United States?
According to Immigration Laws, an illegal entry is understood as:
- Crossing through any place that is not customs.
- Crossing by hiding inside a vehicle that crosses through customs.
- Entering through customs with a valid Visa which was obtained via perjury.
- Crossing using a falsified document, such as a Visa, Passport or Green Card.
- Entering with another person’s document, such as their Passport or any other document that is not in your name.
What is the penalty for entering or attempting to illegally enter for the first time?
There are several penalties for this, such as a fine and/or a prison sentence for a term up to 2 years.
If you do not manage to enter illegally and are detained while trying to enter, it is very possible that the United States will immediately expel you. This carries the punishment of not being allowed entry into the United States for 5 years.
It is important to take into account that even if the time of the penalty has elapsed, it may still be difficult or impossible to obtain a Non-Immigrant Visa, since the person is considered as ineligible.
Conversely, if the immigrant manages to illegally enter the country without being detained, they must know that their migration problems are real. In the first place, they will be given priority to be removed from the United States, be it through immediate expulsion or through a formal deportation procedure. Secondly, usually all paths to normalize your immigrations status are closed, since the person has become what is known as inadmissible.
What is the punishment you get for entering or trying to enter illegally 2 or more times?
Read more here.