No matter which corner of the political arena you sit in, almost everyone in New York can empathize or sympathize with immigrants who illegally enter the U.S. in search of a better life. Fleeing from mass corruption, crime, violence, crippling poverty and war, many are desperate to leave those things behind, and we can certainly understand that. With these sentiments, it is perhaps also understandable when border corruption occurs, a type of white-collar crime that includes both drug and alien smuggling.
For its purposes, the FBI considers borders as not only the dividing lines between the U.S. and Canada and Mexico. All ports of entry into the U.S. are part of the “border,” including all international airports and seaports as well.
Border corruption can occur when patrol officers take a bribe to turn their backs on a van full aliens seeking to cross into the U.S. Another example is a government official who expedites paperwork for immigrants in return for a payment. Or maybe the official helps an alien or several obtain identification documents such as Social Security cards or driver’s licenses from the U.S. What may seem like something relatively harmless may be the opposite, however, if those crossing the border are members of a criminal syndicate, foreign intelligence group or a terrorist cell.
You do not have to work on the border to be involved. You may have looked up some classified records on your computer or gave someone some sensitive information from a law enforcement agency. Or maybe you helped falsify records or obtain necessary documents for others. If you are one of those involved in any way with helping aliens or drugs make it across the border, you may face federal charges. If you protected or escorted contraband or merely looked the other way because you did not want to get a buddy in trouble, you may find yourself in trouble instead.
This article contains information that is of a general nature; it is not intended as legal advice.