Texas Representative Jasmine Crockett is facing heavy criticism after falsely claiming on MSNBC that entering the United States illegally is “not a crime.”

During an interview with MSNBC’s Katie Phang, Crockett stated, “It is not a criminal violation to enter the country illegally… it’s not a crime.” She also accused Republican lawmakers of using immigration enforcement as a distraction, saying, “They really want our local law enforcement to go out and round up people when they could be looking out for the murderers and the sex abusers.” Crockett further attempted to shift the focus to former President Donald Trump, adding, “Don’t give me this fake outrage about criminals roaming our streets when you guys stand ten toes down for the biggest criminal we have ever seen go into the White House.”

Her statement was quickly met with widespread backlash. Republican Senator Mike Lee responded by posting a video of her remarks on social media, correcting her assertion and citing federal law. “Yeah, it’s literally a crime,” Lee wrote, referencing U.S. Code 8 Section 1325, which makes illegal entry a misdemeanor offense punishable by fines or imprisonment.

Under federal law, entering the U.S. unlawfully carries both civil and criminal penalties. A first-time offense is considered a misdemeanor, while repeat offenses can be charged as a felony. Despite this, some progressive lawmakers continue to downplay the legal consequences of illegal immigration.

The Trump administration has prioritized targeting illegal immigrants with criminal records. Last month, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested four illegal immigrants in Washington state, all of whom had convictions or charges related to sexual assault, including one individual charged with child rape.

Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, has reiterated his commitment to cracking down on criminal illegal immigrants. “At last count, we had almost 600,000 illegal aliens in the United States with a criminal conviction,” Homan said in a recent Fox News interview. “I won’t be happy until we eradicate every one of those.”