Rudy Giuliani Says Illegal Immigration is ‘Not a Crime’

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Ianschwartz.com has the text and audio of an interview with Rudy on Glenn Beck's show.

GLENN: You’re protecting criminals by saying that being treated as a criminal is unfair.

GIULIANI: Glenn, it’s not a crime. I know that’s very hard for people to understand, but it’s not a federal crime.

GLENN: It’s a misdemeanor but if you’ve been nailed, it is a crime. If you’ve been nailed, ship back and come back, it is a crime.

GIULIANI: Glenn, being an illegal immigrant, the 400,000 were not prosecuted for crimes by the federal government, nor could they be. I was U.S. attorney in the southern district of New York. So believe me, I know this. In fact, when you throw an immigrant out of the country, it’s not a criminal proceeding. It’s a civil proceeding.

GLENN: Should it be?

GIULIANI: Should it be? No, it shouldn’t be because the government wouldn’t be able to prosecute it. We couldn’t prosecute 12 million people....

I have never heard of this before--illegal immigration not being a criminal activity. It sounds like Rudy is playing games with definitions and interpretation, though I'm no attorney myself.

Regardless, I don't think such statements make Rudy more popular with conservatives.