| | City Journal Winter 2004 | The Illegal-Alien Crime Wave by Heather Mac Donald |
 | | These illegal returnees are, simply by being in the country after deportation, committing a felony (in contrast to garden-variety illegals on their first trip to the U.S., say, who are only committing a misdemeanor). |
 | | Currently, the only types of illegal aliens who run any risk of catching federal attention are those who have been convicted of an aggravated felony (a particularly egregious crime) or who have been deported following conviction for an aggravated felony and who have reentered (an offense punishable with 20 years in jail). |
 | | Arrests of illegal aliens inside the border now inevitably spark protests, often led by the Mexican government, that feature signs calling for no más racismo. Immigrant advocates use the language of human rights to appeal to an authority higher than such trivia as citizenship laws. |
| www.city-journal.org /html/14_1_the_illegal_alien.html (4603 words) |