Immigration laws require foreign visitors to the country to enter the United States at designated points of entry. Any foreign visitors coming into the U.S. must have required documentation, which could include a visa depending upon what country an individual is coming from and what the foreign national plans to do within the United States. When someone enters the U.S. without following immigration laws, this is a crime. Those who help people with illegal entry, or those who assist people after an illegal entry, can be charged with the crime of harboring an undocumented immigrant.
Bukh Law Firms, PLLC fights for the rights of defendants who have been accused of crimes in connection with immigration. The immigration system in the United States is broken, and defendants do not deserve lengthy prison terms for immigration crimes. Our legal team will work hard to help fight charges of harboring so you can try to avoid prison and other life- changing penalties that a conviction could lead to.
What is Harboring?
A defendant accused of harboring an undocumented alien could face federal charges. In the federal code, 18 U.S.C. Section 1324 defines the crime of “bringing in and harboring certain aliens.”
Under this federal law, a defendant could be charged for:
• Bringing, or attempting to bring, someone to the U.S. outside of a designated point-of-entry, despite knowing that person is an alien.
• Transporting, moving, or attempting to transport or move someone who you know has entered the U.S. illegally, or who you should know has entered the country illegally.
• Concealing, harboring, or shielding an alien from detection, or attempting to shield an alien from detection, in a building or any vehicle despite knowing the alien entered the country in violation of U.S. immigration laws.
• Encouraging an alien to come to the U.S. or to reside in the U.S. despite knowing this will be a violation of the law.
Aiding or abetting any of these actions, or engaging in a conspiracy to commit any of these actions, can also result in criminal charges for harboring.
What are the Penalties for Harboring
Penalties for harboring or assisting undocumented immigrants will vary depending upon whether you are accused of acting for commercial or private financial gains. If you act for profit, you can be imprisoned for up to 10 years and face fines. If you do not act for profit, but violate the law anyway, you can be imprisoned for a maximum of five years.
If any individual who you are harboring sustains serious bodily injury, is in jeopardy of injury, faces death, or could face death due to the actions you take, you could face a maximum of 20 years in prison (for injury) or life in prison (for death).
Contact a NY Immigration Crimes Defense Lawyer for Help with Charges of Harboring an Undocumented Immigrant
Helping undocumented immigrants to evade detection may feel like the right thing to do, especially as there is ongoing controversy over whether immigration laws in the United States should be reformed. Unfortunately, breaking federal immigration laws can have a profound impact on your future.
You need to protect yourself if you are accused of harboring, which means doing everything you can to plead down to an offense that is not as serious, to get a prosecutor to offer a light sentence, to seek a dismissal of charges, or to put together a strong case if you have decided to plead not guilty.
Bukh Law Firms, PLLC has provided knowledgeable and skillful legal representation in situations where defendants have been accused of harboring. We are committed to fighting for criminal defendants caught in a bad situation and we bring extensive experience with state and federal laws to your case. Call today to speak with a NY immigration crimes defense lawyer if you are accused of harboring or related offenses.
