Giuliani

NEW YORK (CMC):

Illegal Caribbean and other immigrants have received unexpected support from a United States presidential candidate.

Republican Rudolph Giuliani, former mayor of New York City, shocked far-right conservatives in the country by stating that illegal immigration is not a crime.

"I was U.S. attorney in the Southern district of New York," he said. "So believe me, I know this.

"In fact, when you throw an immigrant out of the country, it's not a criminal proceeding. It's a civil proceeding," he told reporters in Orlando, Florida, at the weekend.

Giuliani said illegal immigration should not be a crime because "the government wouldn't be able to prosecute it.

"We couldn't prosecute 12 million people," he said.

"We have only two million people in jail right now for all the crimes that are committed in the country, 2.5 million," he added.

Giuliani's comments prompted immediate response from his rival, Mitt Romney, with whom he has clashed over the issue in recent weeks.

At odds

"His advocacy for sanctuary city policies and his troubling lack of interest in making enforcement of our nation's immigration laws a priority put him at odds with those who want to secure our borders and end illegal immigration," said Romney spokesman Matt Rhoades.

"It's not a crime," Giuliani insisted.

"I know that's very hard for people to understand, but it's not a federal crime," he added.

Giuliani said his solution, however, is to close the U.S. borders to illegal immigration.

During his reign as mayor, Giuliani instituted a 'sanctuary policy', in which New York City employees were prohibited from reporting suspected illegal or undocumented immigrants from the Caribbean and other places.

Giuliani said the policy was aimed at encouraging illegal immigrants to report crimes, obtain medical treatment or send their children to school without fear of being deported. Most illegal Caribbean immigrants reportedly reside in New York City.