Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Politics and Religion
Overstaying a Visa Isn’t a Crime. Here’s Why It Matters

Overstaying a Visa Isn’t a Crime. Here’s Why It Matters

Last updated on: August 14, 2026 at 8:03 pm by Roger E. Olson

0 Comments

Overstaying a Visa Isn’t a Crime. Here’s Why It Matters 2026-08-14T20:03:47-05:00 Roger E. Olson

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Let’s Stop Calling Them Criminals

The immigrants came here legally with various permissions and overstayed their visas. Many were granted “protected status” because of conditions in their home countries (e.g., Haiti). Staying longer than permitted does not make them “criminals.”| Image courtesy of David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A political advertisement on TV blasts a candidate for public office for allegedly wanting tax money to support “criminals,” referring to all illegal immigrants. That has become common discourse among those who support Trump and ICE. They are all “criminals.”

They Aren’t All Criminals

In fact, however, they aren’t. Many, perhaps the majority, of immigrants without legal standing in the US are not criminals. They came here legally with various permissions and overstayed their visas. Many were given “protected status” due to conditions in their home countries (e.g., Haiti). Staying longer than permitted does not make them “criminals.”

Civil Law, Not Criminal Law

Staying longer than permitted is a civil violation in the US, not a criminal one. Overstaying is a civil violation, not a criminal one.

The difference lies in how such persons are to be treated. A civil law violation can and should result in either extended permission to stay (e.g., as a resident alien) or forced deportation under threat of criminal punishment. But it does not by itself call for incarceration or institutionalization in a deportation center. It certainly does not justify being attacked violently by federal police.

Most people in the US do not know about or choose not to recognize this distinction. They think of and want all illegal immigrants treated the same—violently unless they self-deport before ICE finds and detains them.

Calling Them What They Are: Concentration Camps

Many people in the US seem to want all illegal immigrants rounded up and placed in concentration camps called “detention centers.” Just because they are inside beautiful looking buildings does not make them any less concentration camps. There are credible reports circulating of serious diseases inside these so-called detention centers. And many people, including children, are being kept in them for extended periods of time.

They may not be extermination camps. Even in Germany during WW2 not all concentration camps were extermination centers. I have been to the Dachau concentration camp and been assured by its critics that it was never intended as an extermination camp. Only toward the very end of the war did it become something of an extermination camp but the gas chamber was never used.

Will We Say We Didn’t Know?

What will people in a generation or two or three think about us? Will we someday be rounded up like the citizens of Weimar and made to “tour” a detention/concentration camp? How can we be sure those detained are really criminals and are being treated humanely? The citizens of Weimar and of Dachau (a lovely little suburb of Munich) claimed they did not know…. Will we claim we did not know? How credibly? What do we know? Shouldn’t we know? I believe we should know exactly how the non-criminals and criminals detained in those “detention centers” are being treated and what is planned for them. I don’t. Do you?

I know someone who served for a time as a guard at such a detention center. She calls it a concentration camp.

*Note: If you choose to comment, make sure your comment is relatively brief (not more than 100 words), on topic, addressed to me, civil and respectful (not hostile or argumentative), and devoid of pictures or links.*

General Christian

Politics and Religion

Family, Parenting and Religion

Uncategorized

Previous Post

August 11, 2026

What If We Are Not Alone?

Next Post

August 18, 2026 Church and Ideology

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"No doubt Lewis was inspired by earlier thinkers. Ironically (or perhaps serendipitously) I am now ..."

Roger Olson

The Abolition of Man: Chapter 3: ..."

"I am sure Lewis would agree. After all, as a Christian he believed in original ..."

Roger Olson

The Abolition of Man: Chapter 3: ..."

"If I’m not mistaken, the quote from Lewis is his interpretation of the “Conditioners’” own ..."

Roger Olson

The Abolition of Man: Chapter 3: ..."

"Thank you! It's been a great re-read of a thought provoking, but somewhat dense, little ..."

Øyvind J. Karstad

The Abolition of Man: Chapter 3: ..."

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Against Liberal Theology Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which book of the Bible contains the Song of Moses?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Exodus Numbers Psalms Deuteronomy