Abby Phillip: Illegals ‘Who Overstayed a Visa Can Rectify Their Status’

EXCERPT:

PHILLIP: "40% of people have no criminal record at all. And that includes crossing the border illegally. Hold on, hold on. Okay, hold on. Let‘s just all be talking about the same thing. You‘re saying one-offs are people who are being caught up in this. The data seems to indicate that 40% of the people that have been arrested have no criminal record at all. So maybe they are in the country in an uncertain status, maybe they are in the country — they have overstayed a visa. Maybe they are like this — this Irishman who has been in the country for 20 years with a valid work permit, who was months away from a green card interview, or like some other examples, The New York Times did a story a few months back about people who were literally in their green card interview and were detained by ICE in their green card interviews. Those are in the 40%. So that‘s not one or two people. That‘s a lot of people."
RANTZ: "But I think there's more to the story. So, for example, this guy from Ireland who overstayed a 90-day visa since 2009 — "
PHILLIP: "That‘s — "
RANTZ: "But hold on, let me — "
PHILLIP: "That‘s an administrative infraction. And under U.S. — but hold on a second. Hold on a second, Jason. Under U.S. law, it is legal, perfectly legal for him to rectify his status through marriage to an American citizen, which is exactly what he was doing, which is why — hold on a second — which is why he had a valid U.S. work permit, which was issued by the United States government in his pending green card. So we have a process in the law where people who, like this man, maybe he overstayed a visa, can rectify their status and they‘re not penalized for it."