Neil Desmond
08-17-2013, 04:32 PM
From the perspective of the state with borders and a legal system, it seems to me that this is not possible, because if someone is here in the country illegally, technically that would mean that their status as an immigrant is not legally recognized. To immigrate means to get permission from the state to enter and remain in it.
As an analogy, consider the notion of an illegal purchase. If a person shoplifts a store, legally the items they stole from that store still belong to it. Purchase implies transfer of ownership, and the store does not transfer ownership of stolen items to the person who stole them. Since there was no transfer of ownership, this means that there was no ownership; and if there was no purchase, there was no illegal purchase.
As an analogy, consider the notion of an illegal purchase. If a person shoplifts a store, legally the items they stole from that store still belong to it. Purchase implies transfer of ownership, and the store does not transfer ownership of stolen items to the person who stole them. Since there was no transfer of ownership, this means that there was no ownership; and if there was no purchase, there was no illegal purchase.