Speech #CREC-2017-09-14-pt1-PgH7387-2_t35

Lopez also helped these individuals obtain jobs by completing work applications and transporting them to and from work. He arranged sham marriages for many so that they could appear to be in the U.S. in lawful status. With a warrant, immigration authorities searched six of Lopez's homes and found twenty- seven undocumented individuals. He was charged with harboring illegal immigrants. Mr. Lopez argued that the mere providing of shelter to undocumented immigrants does not constitute harboring. Id. at 439. He argued that to constitute harboring the conduct must be part of the process of smuggling immigrants into the U.S. or facilitating the immigrants' illegal entry into the U.S. Id. The circuit court noted that he essentially argued that to constitute harboring the sheltering would have to be provided either clandestinely or for the purposes of sheltering the immigrants from the authorities. Id. The Second Circuit rejected these arguments.