Every year thousands of immigrants of all over the world try to cross the American border illegally. This carries grave migration consequences and even legal consequences. These consequences occur regardless of whether you manage to enter the country or are detained in the process of trying to enter illegally.
If you try or manage to illegally cross the border of the United States several times, the civil, legal and migration consequences are worse than if you have tried or entered just the one time.
The first penalty consists of a fine. The amount of the fine is multiplied by 2 if that migrant has been previously fined for illegally entering the country. The next penalty is a jail sentence.
People who have already been expelled or deported from the United States because of reasons of national security will be fined and/or sentenced to prison for a period up to 10 years.
If you are given more than one sentence, you will have to serve those consecutively. Cumulative sentences are not allowed.
Those who are deported from the United States because of 3 or more offenses or for 1 drug related crime or for a crime against persons will be punished with a fine and/or a prison sentence for a term up to 10 years. Those who are deported for a felony may be sentenced for a term up to 20 years. Finally, those who are deported for a non-violent crime may be sentenced for a term up to 10 years.
Migration consequences
There are important migration consequences, since the person will be permanently banned from entering the United States. This applies in two cases:
- When someone has been living illegally in the United States for over 1 year.
- When someone who has been removed from the United States enters or tries to enter illegally.
This means that, in the majority of cases, it is never possible to legally return to the United States.
In exceptional cases, it is possible to request and obtain a migratory waiver, so as to be allowed to apply for a Non-Immigrant Visa or an Immigrant Visa, if you qualify for one.