Analysis & Opinions - The Washington Post

Decriminalizing the Border is Not in Anyone's Interest

| July 01, 2019

The Democratic debates last week revealed many things, but few revelations told us as much about the state of the party's thinking than a brief back-and-forth between the two Texans in the race: Julián Castro and Beto O’Rourke.

Early on in the first debate, Castro, the former housing and urban development secretary, challenged "every single candidate on this stage to support the repeal of Section 1325." That section of the federal criminal code makes "improper entry" — attempting to cross into the United States in between established entry stations or in order to avoid inspection — a criminal misdemeanor, punishable by a fine and/or up to six months in jail....

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For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation: Kayyem, Juliette.“Decriminalizing the Border is Not in Anyone's Interest.” The Washington Post, July 1, 2019.

The Author

Juliette Kayyem Headshot

Juliette Kayyem

  • Member of the Board, Belfer Center
  • Belfer Senior Lecturer in International Security, Harvard Kennedy School
  • Faculty Director, Homeland Security Project
  • Faculty Affiliate, Middle East Initiative
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